Adrift in Turmoil
by rooster dawn
Summary: Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings. Author’s note: A shipper’s view of how season seven should have transpired.
1. Chapter 1

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings. 

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part one

2000 hours

Monday

21 May 2001

Mac's Apartment

Sarah MacKenzie sat in her apartment in front of a roaring fire. It had been a long tiring day. Mic had called her several times at work about their wedding plans. It was usually about something small and trivial. 

After the fifth call of the day she grew tired of him constantly interrupting her. She told him that the Admiral wasn't too happy with all the personal telephone calls she had been receiving recently. 

She told him if he had any more problems he should take care of them himself. The only response he could give her was that he wanted to hear her voice, to which she could understand and thought was very sweet. 

However when she went to work she needed to work, it was not to play silly teenage games about who miss whom more. 

The roaring fire in the fireplace was a symbol of her life. Up until a few weeks ago her life was finally calming down. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She was marrying Mic Brumby or Bugme, as Harm would say. 

They were going to be married this coming Saturday. But she wondered if it was the wedding that she really wanted. It seemed to be a very nice wedding, but was it what she wanted? Was it really with the man she wanted?

Mic had wanted the wedding to be special for her as it was going to be for him. He was on cloud nine. He wanted her to be as happy as he was. It was hard for her because he didn't listen to her and she had a lot to take care of at work before they left for their honeymoon.

She was glad that Mic had taken on most of the planning. She was happy and was looking forward to getting married. She was looking forward to starting a new phase in her life with the possibility of children in the future.

But that got her to thinking about Harm was their five year baby deal. A deal that meant they would have a baby together, a dream she had been dreaming about for the last two years. 

Now she was even more confused after the events of the last few weeks. 

It seemed like Harm was the only person she could think about since the engagement party. He had mentioned that some people were in love with her.

When she asked him whom, he said nothing, but she knew he meant himself. He also said he didn't want to lose her. Did that mean he loved her? She did say it could have been their engagement party, not just hers.

Damm! She was doing it again. She should be thinking about Mic and the wedding, not Harm, but she couldn't. Her thoughts were now in a constant state of turmoil. And all she could think of was Harm and the kiss. Her turmoil began at her engagement party at the Admiral's home. 

The man, whom she had fallen in loved with on the day he asked permission to come aboard, had finally told her that he had been in love with her for a very long time. She couldn't remember a day when she wasn't in love with him too. 

She had thought she was meant to be with him for rest of her life, ever since the day that she let him into her heart. When she had pressed him further he had admitted to her he never wanted to lose her. 

That he wanted her in his life. Why Lord, was he telling her all this now? Why couldn't he have told her he love her a month ago, six months ago? Why did he have to wait until two weeks before her wedding to tell her that he loved her? Why lord, why?

She had finally resigned herself that Harm didn't love her. She had finally moved on with her life. She had found someone else to love and who loved her. She had done all this. She had finally opened herself up to loving someone else. 

She had allowed Mic into her heart, to woo her, to treat her like a queen, it had taken a long time, but she had finally developed genuine feelings for him, and now she was happy to be marrying him. 

She had thought Harm was happy being involved with the Video Princess. Only God himself could understand what he saw in her. Her hair was dyed an awful shade of blond. She wore way too much makeup. 

Chloe thought she was the painted lady. And her clothes, who taught her how to dress. They were awful colors for her. She shuddered. Why lord, why?

But then again in a way Harm's confessions of love was her fault. She had been the one who pushed him to confess his feelings to her at her engagement party. She needed to know if Harm loved her or not. She needed closure with Harm. 

Instead she just opened a new can of worms. They had talked about how they met in the Rose Garden, their adventures together, and finally they talked about the ferry where it had fallen apart. 

Two people who loved each other, but were afraid to take the next step. Harm told her how he was really feeling. He told her what he meant to say on the ferry. He meant to say he wasn't ready to love her the way she wanted to be love.

She was ready for a life time commitment and a family. He was still disorientated from returning from flying and he was still grieving for his father. What he had meant to ask from her was a little more time.

He needed more time to deal with these issues before he could give her the love she deserved. He was sorry that he had hurt her. He was surprised that she had misunderstood what he was trying to say. 

She had ran to Bugme a couple days later, not waiting to talk him about what was between them until they returned home. 

She had then admitted to Harm that she had only taken the ring because she didn't want to hurt Mic's feelings. She had intended to take the ring off when she returned home. She only wanted to make him jealous. 

She had wanted to let Harm know that if he didn't want her, that there was someone else who did. She wanted him to know that she wasn't going to wait forever for him to decide that he wanted to be with her.

She was going to mail the ring back to Mic, but when she saw that he was going to be seeing Renee more often, she decided to keep the ring and wear it until Harm decided it was her that he wanted and not Renee. 

She had pleaded with her eyes for him to do something when Mic returned to the states. She hadn't asked for Mic to come. She was as surprised as he was that he was there. 

She hoped that the realization that he could lose her would cause him to do something, but he didn't. She thought any chances to be with Harm was finally over. She had decided to kiss him goodnight one last time. 

She was surprised when he took the kiss further. It was a hungry, longing, passionate kiss. It was like he was making one last plead. It was like he was trying to tell her he loved her and not to marry Bugme in one final effort.

She had been waiting for a long time for him to kiss her again. Ever since that night in Norfolk when she showed up in Harriet's uniform looking like Diane she had wanted to kiss him again. 

She had initiated the kiss that night. It was suppose to be a simple good night kiss, instead he took her into his strong arms. Boy did she like having his arms around her. He made her feel so safe and secure. 

Then he leaned in and gave her the kiss of a lifetime. Mic had never kissed her like that. Mic's kisses were usually a wet, sloppy, and clumsy in effort. 

He always thought a deep French kiss was desired, where he did as he wanted while not allowing her to respond back was all that was needed. His kisses were not of love, but of conquest. He took what he wanted not caring what she wanted. 

But the way Harm kissed her was different. His kiss was a shared experience of passion, a kiss between two equal and hungry people, two people who not only wanted to show their love, but to be loved in returned. 

She had never been kissed liked that before. Why Lord, why couldn't he have had told her he loved her before now? It was too late now. She had committed herself to Mic. She always honored her commitments. 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part 2

2300 hours

Mac's apartment

Later that evening she had taken Jingo for a walk so he could take care of his business, she began to think about Harm again. She began to think about what had happen last Friday and Saturday.

She had to go to the Naval Academy in Annapolis to give a talk to a law class about a mutiny involving a namesake, Captain MacKenzie. She had told the story to Harm on Wednesday.

Harm had volunteered to drive up with her to the Academy on Friday. It had been some time since he had last been up there. He had told her he could give her a guided tour of the Naval Academy Rabb style.

After all he was a graduate of the Naval Academy. She liked the idea of Harm going with her. It might be one of the last times she would be able to spend quality time alone with him. Mic was quite jealous of any time she spent with him.

She had always been interested in what Harm was like when he was younger, particularly as a young midshipman. She wondered how he had changed since then.

She figured that if she saw Annapolis through Harm's eyes, she would get a better insight of who Harm was in his younger days. Since she wasn't giving the talk until the afternoon they decided to drive up Friday morning.

They went in her corvette with the top down. She decided to let Harm drive. She knew how much Harm missed driving his own corvette even though he pretended he like the SUV because of more cargo space.

Driving a corvette had defined whom Harmon Rabb was for so a long time. Besides she liked the way he droved. She felt like they were one, a couple. It might be the last time that she would ever feel this way again.

They arrived at the naval academy at 1030 hours. Harm gave her a tour around campus. He showed her where he lived, where he ate, where he went to classes, and where he spent many hours of the day drilling due to being caught doing pranks with Keeter.

At 1200 hours they went to the Officer's Club to have lunch. She was very impressed. She had been to many bases where the Officer's Clubs were no where near as nice as the one at the Academy.

After lunch Harm had to take her to one more place before taking her to the instruction hall for her lecture. It was the famous Annapolis Naval Chapel where most of the famous naval heroes had been married.

They walked up to the front of the Academy Chapel. She gazed upon the chapel. She was stunned. It was so beautiful. She had always heard that it was beautiful.

After a moment they went inside. What she saw inside was even more breath taking. It was the most beautiful chapel she had ever seen. It wasn't grandiose like the church Mic had picked out.

It was so much more elegant and refine. Harm told her how his mother and father had gotten married there. Then he turned to her and looked deep into her eyes before he told her that someday he had hoped when he finally did get married, it would be here like his father.

She had asked him why he still couldn't get married here. That's when he told her that there was only one woman he could ever love and marry, but she was marrying another man. She was shocked at his pronouncement that he would never marry.

After she had finished her lecture to the law class she met up with Harm. They returned to the Officer's Club for dinner. There wasn't too much talking between them. Harm had bared his soul to her in the chapel.

She didn't know how to really respond to him about it. She needed time to digest and think about what he had told her today. After dinner they both returned to the visitor's quarters for the night.

The next day Harm took her sailing on the lake. She had never been sailing before. She loved it. It reminded her of the first time she had gone flying in Harm's bi-plane before they had to land in the field.

She had such a wonderful time. Once again Harm had shared a part of his life with her, a life of freedom and passion. It had been the best couple days she and Harm had spent together in a long time.

The last time was before he left to fly tomcats. She had a lot to think about doing the next week. But as the week went on she knew what she had to do.

Even though she had spent a wonderful weekend with Harm, she knew the memories were going to have to last her a lifetime. She couldn't let a few stolen moments no matter how special and wonderful they were to interfere with the wedding.

They weren't enough to change her plans about marrying Mic. He was offering her what she wanted most in life, love, a good man, and a family.

Everything that happen this weekend with Harm was no guarantee that he would ever offer her the same. Despite how much she enjoyed spending time with Harm, he didn't tell her that he love her and not to marry Mic.

She had made a commitment to Mic. He had asked her to marry him and she had accepted. She knew she had to honor that commitment. It was what her life was all about, duty and honor.

"I'm sorry Harm, it's too late. You waited too long. I have to marry Mic." she said to herself.

Tuesday

22 May 2001

Jag Headquarters

On Tuesday Mac went into work until 1200 hours. She needed to get all her work done before she left on her honeymoon. She was going to pick Chloe up at the airport after lunch. Her flight was due in at 1400 hours.

She wanted to get there early. She had missed Chloe so much. She had been lonely for so long. She had felt a need to be needed. Carolyn, her best friend had told her about a big sister program that she was involved in.

When she had gone down to the center they had hooked her up with Chloe, a troubled preteen who was wise beyond her young years. At first it was difficult dealing with her, but after a couple of weeks of patience and love Chloe started to warm up to her.

Chloe was a lot like her at that age. She understood what Chloe was going through. She was so happy to be there for someone who needed her. She wished she had had someone when she was Chloe's age, especially after her mother left a few years later.

In return Chloe started showing her the love only a young person who was in the need of love could give her. They developed such a great bond between them.

It had saddened her when Chloe left to live with her grandmother. She had left shortly before Harm left to fly. She also knew now she could love and be love.

Before she became a big sister to Chloe she thought she wasn't capable of being loved or loving someone like she had with Chloe. It had made her hate her father even more for abusing her mother until she had to leave him and abandon her.

Then it occurred to Mac as she began thinking to herself. Maybe that was what was wrong. Her mother wasn't here to share in her happiness. She didn't know where she was right now. It had been almost two years since she last seen her.

It seemed to her that Mic didn't really care if her mother was there or not. His attitude had been why would you want someone who had abandoned you to be at your wedding. He didn't understand. She was her only family.

Uncle Matt was in Leavenworth. She hadn't thought about her mother until a few weeks ago. Mic hadn't offered to try and find her. She wondered if she was marrying Harm if he would have offered to find her.

Knowing Harm, he would have surprised her. He would have had her mother there with her at least two weeks before the wedding to help her get ready, to share with her the happiness that only a mother and daughter could.

But she wasn't marrying Harm. She, Sarah MacKenzie, was marrying Mic Brumby. For better or worse she had to deal with that fact. Even though Mic professed to love her totally, Mic only did what Mic wanted to do.

He could be very selfless when he want to be. Oh Lord, why does this have to be so difficult? Why couldn't Harm have either said nothing or told her he loved her and not to marry Mic. She wouldn't be having all these doubts right now.

After she completed her work for the day she headed to the airport. When she got there Chloe was disembarking from her flight. When she saw Mac she came a running almost leaping into Mac's arms.

After picking up her bags they went to Beltway Burger to have one of their special meals together. When they got back to her place they spent the rest of the night talking.

Chloe was confused. She had always thought that when Mac finally got married it would have been to Harm. She knew Mac loved Harm and Harm loved her. Why was it that they weren't getting married instead?

Something must have happen, but what? What did Harm do? Was Mac really happy to be marrying Mic? She didn't now Mic very well. All she remember was he smiled a lot and didn't speak very well.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part three

1000 hours

Wednesday

23 May 2001

Jag Headquarters

Wednesday morning Mac went into the office early. She still had a few more reports and cases to finish up. She figured she would have them finished by the end of the day. She wasn't going to be in the rest of the week.

The rehearsal dinner was Friday night and she still had one or two things left to do. With any luck she would be done early and be able to spend the rest of the day with Chloe.

Around midmorning she needed a break. She went into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. She hoped Tiner didn't make it. He sometimes forgot to change the filter. Only the Admiral seemed to like it that way. Must remind him of his time in Viet Nam. If only he knew.

When she got there she ran into Bud.

"Good morning Ma'am. How are you doing today? Are you ready for your big day?" asked a jovial Bud.

"I'm fine Bud. I'm a little bit nervous about this weekend. Have you seen Harm today?" asked Mac.

"He went to Quantico today. Said something about returning tomorrow morning." replied Bud.

"I was hoping to have lunch with him today and go over a couple cases that he's taking for me." Mac responded sadly.

Bud, ever the optimist, "I'm sure he'll be happy to have lunch with you tomorrow when he gets back Ma'am. He's not going to be here Friday."

Mac was a little puzzled. "He's not going to be here Friday, Bud. Where's he going to be? The rehearsal dinner is Friday night." She was becoming a little annoyed.

"He'll be flying out first thing in the morning to the Patrick Henry." replied Bud before realizing.

'Uh oh' Bud thought to himself. He just struck his size 11 foot in his mouth about something he believed the Commander didn't want the Colonel to know about.

"Nothing Ma'am." stuttered Bud.

"Okay Lieutenant out with it." demanded an angry Mac.

"He has his Quals on Friday, Ma'am." responded Bud as he watched Mac become more upset.

He had an uneasy feeling that Mac wasn't too happy about hearing that Harm wasn't going to be at the rehearsal dinner. In fact he was pretty sure she was going to be very upset that Harm would be away flying tomcats.

In fact he wished he hadn't said anything. At the moment he wished that he wasn't there. The next thing he knew Mac blew a gasket. He didn't know what to do or say.

"What do you mean he's going to be flying his tomcat Friday? He's supposed to be here. The rehearsal dinner is Friday night. He promised me he would be here for me. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him.

When he gets back here tomorrow don't you say anything to him, Bud? You hear me? You just tell him when he gets back that I need to see him. Okay Bud?" ordered Mac.

"Yes Ma'am." replied Bud as he shit his pants.

"What's going on out here?" yelled the Admiral.

"You're disturbing the tranquility of the work place and my sanity. I know that can't be happening, the Colonel isn't working today and the Commander isn't here to aggravate anyone, he's in Norfolk. What are you doing her today Colonel? There is no one for you to fight with."

"Sorry Sir. I came in today to have lunch with Harm." Mac said regretfully. "I just heard that Harm isn't going to be here Friday. I heard he's going to be flying his tomcat."

"That's right Colonel. He has his Quals on Friday. Well at least you're consistent Colonel. If it's not with Rabb, it's about Rabb." smirked the Admiral.

"You knew about his Quals Sir?" asked Mac sadly.

"He told me awhile ago that they were on the 25 May." replied the Admiral.

"I'm sorry Sir. This is the first I've heard of it." responded Mac very quietly as she slowly turned away and left the kitchen to go back to her office.

"What's wrong with her Lieutenant? asked the Admiral.

"I don't know Sir. She said something about needing the Commander and he promised." a dumb founded Bud replied.

"When is it not Lieutenant?" smiled the Admiral. "I should have known that the Commander was involved. You would think that they were the ones getting married."

"I think that may be the problem Sir." replied Bud.

"What Lieutenant?" asked the Admiral as he shook his head.

"They aren't the ones getting married." replied Bud with a sullen look.

Back in her office with the door closed Mac began to cry. It was all falling apart and she didn't know what to do. He promised me he would be there for my wedding, but he would rather be flying his stupid tomcat than to be there for me.

History was repeating itself once again. Once again he was going away to fly rather than being there for her. Leaving her to deal with everything all by herself. As always flying was more important then she was. About an hour later after composing herself from crying she left the office and went home.

0900 hours

Thursday

24 May 2001

Mac's apartment

The next morning Mac called Bud to see if he had heard from Harm. She needed to talk to him. She needed to make sure Harm knew she needed him to be there.

"Bud, have you heard from Harm this morning?"

"Yes Ma'am." Bud replied. "He said he would be returning at around 1230 hours. I didn't tell him you were angry with him Ma'am. I did tell him that you wanted to have lunch with him."

"Thank you Bud. Make sure he doesn't talk to anyone before I see him." Mac ordered. Mac wanted to give Harm one last opportunity to tell her before she reamed him a new six.

Mac had spent yesterday afternoon and this morning with Chloe. They talked about the Mac's wedding on Saturday and the rehearsal dinner Friday night.

Chloe found out why Mac was upset. Mac told her Harm wouldn't be at the rehearsal dinner because he was going away to fly his tomcat.

Chloe couldn't understand why she was upset. Mac was marrying Mic not Harm. Why was it important to her that Harm be there? The only thing Mac would say to her was that he promised her.

Mac knew Harm loved to fly. It was one of the things she had told Chloe that she loved about him. It was who he was and what made him the man that she knew and loved. It was his most defining feature. All Mac could tell Chloe was she needed him. She didn't know why, only that she did.

Harm as usual was late getting back. He arrived at Jag at 1255 hours. They decided to go to Ho's House of Noodles for some Chinese food. They talked about his trip to Quantico before lunch arrived.

They were pretty quiet through lunch with neither doing too much talking. Mac was hoping that Harm would tell her about his plans about going flying tomorrow.

But Harm, as was usual of late, would disappoint her. He didn't mention his Quals once during lunch. In fact he talked about everything but his Quals and her wedding this weekend.

She was slowly getting angry with Harm. It was as if he wasn't even going to be there for her wedding. But the restaurant wasn't the time or place for the show down. She would wait until later in the day when they were back in the office.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part four

1600 hours

Jag Headquarters

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She had been stewing in her office for the last hour and a half while she pretended to be looking over some files. She needed to get this over with.

She had to talk to Harm about why he was not going to be at her rehearsal dinner, why was he going away to fly tomcats, and finally why didn't he say anything to her about it.

Mac stormed into Harm's office and slammed the door. Harm looked up to see the woman of his dreams standing there with a look that could kill. He thought to himself "Uh oh, what did I do now?"

Before he could even say hello to her Mac laid into him.

"What were you thinking? The wedding is only two days away and I've heard that you're not going to be at the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night. I heard that you're going away to fly your stupid tomcat. Why didn't you say anything to me about it?"

note: she said the wedding not her wedding implying their wedding

Harm replied "Mac, I'm only going away at most for a couple of days to keep my flight status current. I told you about it a couple of months ago. I've had this planned a long time before you announced your wedding date. I should be back in plenty of time for the wedding."

Mac, her anger lessening, asked "But what if they change the schedule or something else happens and you can't make it back in time? I need you Harm. You promised me Harm that you would be there. I can't get married without you there."

Mac's anger was melting. How could she stay mad at someone who look as good as Harm. She knew in her mind that he hadn't done this deliberately. It was part of life when you were in the military.

Unfortunately Harm wasn't thinking clearly as he responded smartly "I'll be there Mac. I've never promised you anything that I haven't been able to deliver on. You let me worry about getting back. It's not as though you and I are getting married Mac."

"Don't you get smart with me stick boy. That's has never been one of your more endearing qualities. I have enough things to worry about Harm without having to worry about you. Every time you've ever gone flying I've worried about you.

I know how much you love to fly Harm, but it's something I don't need to be worrying about right now. You don't have to go away and fly. You better not let me down Flyboy or there will be hell to pay." said Mac, who was almost calm now.

"Well Mac, if you really need me there at your wedding then maybe you should reconsider just who you are marrying." replied Harm with a smile before he realized he had just put his large foot in his mouth. He knew he better change the subject quickly.

"Aren't you going to wish me luck Mac?"

Mac was steaming mad now. She had never been this angry as she was now. Even Mic and his selfish ego hadn't made her feel this angry.

"Go to Hell Harm!" She just shook her head and walked out of his office slamming the door.

"Damm you Harmon Rabb!" Mac said to herself. She needed to get out of there. She was fighting to keep the tears in. She didn't want him to see her crying.

Harm wanted to get up from behind his desk and go after her. He wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her. But he couldn't do that, it wasn't his place anymore.

He didn't want to go to the wedding. He didn't want to see her marrying someone, especially Bugme. But he had promised her that he would be back in time for the wedding. He never broke promises to Mac.

"What was that?" Singer asked Harriet.

"The usual, the Commander and Colonel are fighting again. It seems as they get nearer and nearer to the Colonel's wedding the shorter their fuses get." replied Harriet.

"You would think that they were the two getting married by the way they go at it." laughed Singer.

Harriet joined her in laughing. It was rare that she agreed with anything Loren said, but in this case she was right. She still couldn't figure out why the Colonel was marrying Mic. Then again she was only a lowly lieutenant.

"I think that's really the crux of the problem. They aren't the two people getting married. Remember when you first got here Loren, there was a pool about when they would first start dating." smiled Harriet.

"Now that you mentioned it, I do remember something, but I also remembered that it wasn't until a month ago that the pool officially stopped taking new bets." smiled Singer.

Just then the Admiral came out of his office.

"What in the world was that?" asked the Admiral.

"Just the Colonel and the Commander fighting Sir." replied Singer.

"I thought the Colonel wasn't in today?" said the Admiral a bit annoyed.

"She wasn't supposed to be Sir. She came into the office to have lunch with the Commander. They seemed alright when they came back Sir." replied Harriet.

"Lord help us." the Admiral muttered as he headed back to his office.

"We might have to start it up again or start a new one, when will the Colonel disable the Commander?" said a smiling Singer.

"How about what time the Commander does shows up at the wedding or whether he shows at all." replied Harriet smiling.

Friday

25 May 2001

Patrick Henry

Early the next morning Harm drove down to Andrews to catch a COD out to the Patrick Henry. When he reached the Patrick Henry Lieutenant "Skates" Hawkes was there to greet him. She was going to be his RIO for the Quals.

She was very happy to see him. She had been his regular RIO last year when he was on the Patrick Henry full time. The LSO wasn't happy to see Harm though. To the LSO Harm was a legal weenies. It was a waste of time training legal weenies or anyone who didn't fly full time.

That's when Captain Ingles spoke up and told his LSO "When you have two DFC's pinned to your chest LSO then you can tell the Commander your opinions of whom should fly and who shouldn't."

"Yes Sir" was the LSO's reply as he took his size 12 out of his six.

A small smile came across Harm's face. The Captain seemed to be a man of his word when he told him a year ago he would be please to have Harm aboard after Skates' court martial.

Harm completed his day and night carrier landings without incidents that day. He had done an excellent job as usual. He rated out as the best, well ahead of all the rest. He wanted to tell Mac that he still had what it took to be a combat pilot. It was getting late and a storm was coming in hard.

"Captain, I need to fly back to Washington tonight, I can't wait until tomorrow." Harm asked hopefully.

The Captain asked him "What's so damm important to you that you would risk being caught in the middle of a major storm for?"

Harm quietly responded "Colonel MacKenzie is getting married tomorrow. I need to be there for her."

"Who is she marrying?" asked the Captain, he was a little puzzled. He had thought that there was something between Rabb and MacKenzie.

"A former co-worker from Australia." replied Harm sadly.

"I thought some day you and she would be the ones tying the knot Commander. You two seem to be very close a couple of years ago when she was here conducting her investigation of Lt. Buxton.

You both spent all your free time together even during the trial. If I didn't know any better I would have thought the two of you were already married. You two looked closer them most married couples I know.

She seems to care for you a lot. I thought it was the reason why you wanted to return to Jag so much, to be with her every day." replied a surprised Captain.

"We had some problems when I first got back to Jag. Before I left to fly I was the top dog. But while I was gone she got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. She became the top dog. She also had a new partner.

We needed to work through that issue first. When she finally came to me and told me what she wanted I was too busy trying a case and wasn't ready to deal with her request. I thought I had more time to talk later.

Instead I was an idiot for not seeing what she needed from me and I lost her to another man. I walked away from her. Now it's too late to do anything about it but wish her luck. At least that what I keep telling myself every day." Harm sadly responded.

The Captain then told him "I understand Commander, I can't tell you the number of aviators who have lost a girlfriend or a wife because they couldn't be there when they were needed the most.

When the storm lets up you can go ahead and take one of the F14's. Make sure you take Skates along with you, she's the best RIO I have and she wants to see her fiancee this weekend."

1800 hours

Friday

Mac's Apartment

Meanwhile back at Mac's apartment before the rehearsal dinner Mac and Chloe were spending some quality time together when Chloe asked her

"How come you're marrying Bugme? I thought you loved Harm. He's the man of your dreams, your soul mate."

Mac replied "Because Harm never asked me to marry him sweetie, he kept telling me he couldn't let go, he wasn't ready, I don't think he loves me that way."

Chloe, not to be denied declared "But he does love you Mac and you do love him. I know it. I don't understand. Why can't you tell Mic to get lost and go back to Australia?"

"Sometimes I don't understand it either sweetie, but I have made my decision and I intend to honor it." replied Mac.

"But what about Harm?" asked Chloe.

"It's too late Chloe. He has had many chances to tell me he loves me and not to marry Mic, but he didn't." answered Mac sadly.

A moment later the telephone rang.

"Hello?" said Mac.

"Hey Mac, this is Harm. I wanted to call you to let you know that I've completed my Quals and will be flying back as soon as the weather clears up a bit." informed Harm.

"How did you do Harm?" asked Mac. Chloe's ears perked up when she heard Mac mentioned Harm's name.

"I graded out the best." replied Harm.

"Be careful Harm, you know I'll worry until you're safely back on the ground." Mac said as she hung up the phone.

"Was that Harm?" asked Chloe.

"Yes. He called to let me know that he would be on his way as soon as the storm lightens up and to let me know how he did on his Quals." smiled Mac.

"Well! How did he do Mac? Did he say he loved you?" smiled a precocious Chloe.

"Harm did as Harm always does Chloe, the best. And no he didn't say anything of the sort." replied Mac. If only what Chloe said was true, that Harm would say he love her.

Later that evening after they went through the wedding rehearsal at the church everyone went to Olivia's Italian Restaurant for the rehearsal dinner and sat down for a nice meal.

After everyone had finished eating dinner Bud, the buffoon, and Harriet finally arrived soaking wet. He gave a sappy toast to Mac and Mic about their upcoming nuptials; he included in the toast how he and Harriet met.

What an idiot. He was about to ask the Admiral if he had anything to say when the Admiral's phone rang.

"Admiral Cheggewidden speaking."


	5. Chapter 5

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part five

2100 hours

Friday

Patrick Henry

When the weather clear Harm and Skates took off. They had flown for an hour before they started having instrument problems. The first was the low oxygen light forcing them to fly at a lower altitude 10,000 feet, which was right in the middle of the storm.

After trying to navigate around the storm cells for the next half-hour, they started having additional system failures. Before they knew it they were in serious trouble. The tomcat was bucking all over the place. Harm was having difficulty maintaining control.

Skates first tried contacting the local airfields between them and Norfolk, but they were all closing due to fog and low visibility. Skates

started calling May Day when Harm told her he couldn't keep the tomcat in the air too much longer.

On the aircraft carrier Patrick Henry the communications officer heard the call from Lieutenant Hawkes. He told his supervisor who contacted the Captain.

"Sir, I have a mayday from Lieutenant Hawkes. They're having instrument problems and the plane is going down. They're ejecting Sir. They're off the scope." yelled the radar control officer.

"Red alert, red alert people. We have a plane down. I repeat red alert, red alert we have a plane down. Begin Search and Rescue LSO." ordered Captain Ingles.

2300 hours

Olivia's Italian Restaurant

After completing the telephone call the Admiral walked back to the table. He looked very shaken. Mac sensed there was something wrong. She wondered if it had anything to do with Harm.

She asked the Admiral "What's wrong Sir? You look terrible."

"I have some very bad news to share with all of you, Sarah." The Admiral paused to look around the room. Many of them were the Commander's friends. He could tell everyone was beginning to look distress.

He hated times like this. It was never easy telling people that a good friend was lost at sea.

"Everyone may I have your attention?" asked the Admiral.

Uh oh, thought Mac. He's addressed me by my first name. Something awful must have happened. Oh no! It can't be. Not Harm. Tears began to form in her eyes at the realization that something had happened to Harm.

"What is it Sir?" asked Mac, her voice shaken.

The Admiral answered her with a great deal of sadness in his voice. He knew there was going to be a lot of heartache tonight. There would be very little sleep waiting for further reports.

"Commander Rabb finished his Quals earlier tonight. As usual he represented Jag with his usual high standard of excellence. As he was trying to get back here tonight with his RIO Lieutenant Hawkes during a lull in the storm,

his plane developed instrument troubles. They lost him off radar a half-hour ago. They believe his plane went down. As of 2230 hours he is presumed lost at sea. They have launched search and rescue planes to look for him."

Mac gasped as she held onto Chloe "Oh my God, do they know if he is alright?"

"Right now they don't know anything Colonel. He was too far away from the carrier for them to get a signal from his emergency distress beacon. It's too early to tell." responded the Admiral.

"They will have search planes over the area in another hour. Maybe then we'll have some good news."

Renee was crying softly now "How could they let him fly in this weather?"

"You know the Commander." replied the Admiral.

"No one can stop him from doing something he has set his mind on doing. He wanted to get back in time for the wedding tomorrow. Besides normally a tomcat can easily fly through this kind of weather. It shouldn't have been an issue."

"It's all my fault. I practically ordered him to be here with no exceptions. If he dies I don't know what I'll do." cried a teary eyed Mac to herself. "I don't know if I can live without him."

Meanwhile as they were waiting in the dining room to hear more news from the search and rescue mission Mac arranged with one of the wait staff for a speaker phone to be brought into the room.

She told the Admiral it would allow everyone to be able to follow what was happening. As they were setting up the speaker phone Loren came over to Mac.

"Don't worry Ma'am. You know the Commander will be alright. He's been in worst situations before."

"You're right Loren, he has a knack of getting himself out of trouble and coming back. But he usually has me watching his six. He doesn't tonight." replied Mac.

"But he has someone to come back to who loves him." replied Singer.

"Yes he does." responded Mac as Loren looked over to Renee.

But she knew in her heart that it was she that Harm would be returning to if he had the strength to survive. Please God let him be alright. I love him so much. Don't let anything happen to him.

An hour later a call came across the speakerphone. Mac went over to Chloe and wrapped her arms around her. Everyone else gathered around to hear the transmission. They all held hands and prayed. The voice they heard was Captain Ingles.

"Sir, this Captain Ingles of the Patrick Henry. We have detected a signal coming from a distress beacon. We're checking it out now."

"Very good Captain, please keep an open channel going, we want to follow along with you as you go." replied the Admiral.

"Yes Sir." responded the Captain. Even though he understood the request, he didn't feel very comfortable that a search and rescue operation would be broadcasted on an open channel where it could be opened to interpretation by Jag. But when an Admiral speaks, you listen.

Meanwhile the Chaplain led everyone in prayer. Ten minutes later the rescue crew was over the distress beacon. They could see one strobe light from the beacon flashing, not two as they had hope.

"We see a person in the water. We are lowering the basket. The pilot is secured in the basket and we're bringing the basket up. It's Lieutenant Hawkes Sir. She says she didn't see the Commander eject." said the helio pilot.

There were sounds of anguish throughout the room as thoughts of Harm having gone down with the plane. He could be dead.

"How's the weather out there LSO?" asked Captain Ingles.

"It's very bad Sir. I don't know if we can stay out here much longer. The waves are thirty feet high and the ceiling is less than 100 feet Sir. Visibility is very poor Sir." said the LSO.

"Take one more quick sweep and head back." ordered Captain Ingles.

As she listen to this communication Mac was shaken up, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were going to leave Harm somewhere out there in the ocean in the middle of a major storm.

She was quick to respond to the Captain "What about Commander Rabb. He could be within a couple hundred feet Sir."

Captain Ingles replied "He could be Colonel, but then again he could be a hundred miles away. We don't have any way of really knowing Colonel. We can't risk ... "

The Admiral knowing what was coming next and not wanting a heated debate spoke up "When will you be resuming the search for Commander Rabb, Captain Ingles?"

"As soon as the weather clears and the conditions are more conducive to conducting a search Sir." replied Captain Ingles.

"Understood Captain. Keep me inform when you do." said the Admiral.

Upon hearing the news that they were abandoning the search and leaving Harm out there thrashing about in storming seas, tears began to form again in Mac's eyes. She needed to get out of the room, she needed to be alone by herself.

She turned and quickly ran out of the room before anyone could say anything to her. She didn't want anyone to see her crying for Harm. By the time Mac had entered the next room she was sobbing hard.

The room was dark and there was a large picture window at the other end. She went over to the window and stared out at the storm. What she saw scared her. It was raining so hard she couldn't see more than fifty feet ahead of her.

"Oh god, why is this happening? It's all my fault. I didn't wish him luck. I love him so much. Harriet was right, flying was everything to Harm. I should know that by now.

I should have known his Quals were coming up. He's my best friend. I've always known before when his Quals were coming up. But I was too preoccupied with my own wedding plans not to notice.

Why did he have to wait until two weeks before the wedding to finally let me know that he loves me and that he has loved me for a long time? Why god, did I rush into Mic's arms and take his ring.

I should have tried a little harder with Harm when we got back from Australia. He didn't say he didn't love me. He just didn't want to start something in Australia. He needed more time.

Why did I give him such a hard time yesterday? I know he doesn't like Mic. And I'm sure he really doesn't want me to marry Mic, but I couldn't wait around forever for him to decide whether or not he wants to spend the rest of his life with me.

But then again he did say yesterday that if I needed him to be at my wedding then maybe I should reconsider whom I was marrying. Maybe that was his way of saying, don't marry Mic, that he was ready to marry me."

Mac heard a noise coming from behind her. The door to the banquet room was opening and closing. Go away she thought. She didn't want to be with anyone right now. It was Mic walking into the room.

He called out to Mac "Sarah luv, Why don't you come back into the other room and be with those who love you."

"Not now Mic, I need to be alone. Please go away and leave me alone." said Mac.

She was still crying and needed to be by herself to deal with Harm's plane going down. But true to form Mic didn't know the meaning of leave me alone. Once again he had decided not to listen to her.

He went up to Mac and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her around. She shuddered when he did. After a few moments Mac turned around and her face had tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were puffy.

Mic was shock to see that she had been sobbing so hard. He hadn't expected this. He had thought Mac had given up on Harm and loved only him now. He knew she would be a little upset, but he didn't expect to see her devastated by the news.

"You still love him Sarah, don't you?" asked Mic.

"Yes, I do. I didn't realized how much until his plane went down." said Mac.

"I thought I had buried any feelings I had for him a long time ago. I thought I could learned to love you Mic, but the love I have for Harm is so special, so intense.

I don't think I could ever love you or anyone else the same way. It wouldn't be fair to you Mic. I think we should call off the wedding Mic. I'm so sorry."

"But Sarah." cried Mic.

"No Mic, it's over." said Mac. "How can I marry you when I feel this way about another man? It wouldn't be fair to you."

"But Sarah, let's not act too rashly. Right now you're feeling devastated because Harm is missing and lost at sea. You're reacting to the tragedy of his plane going down. You're feeling the lost of a friend right now.

You're not thinking clearly. I think we should wait until he's been rescued and alright before we make any final decisions. Let's for now postpone the wedding." pleaded Mic in a whining tone that grated her nerves.

"Whatever Mic, good night. I need to be alone right now. I can't deal being with anyone right now." conceded Mac.

"But Sarah! Luv! You shouldn't be alone now. You should be with your friends and me." whined Mic again.

"Why can't you understand Mic? I don't want to be with anyone right now. I want to be left alone. Go Mic!!" ordered a distraught Mac.

Mic left the room leaving Mac to her thoughts. He cursed "Damm you Rabb, damm, damm, damm." He walked backed to where everyone else were.

A little while later Mic saw Mac coming into the dining room. He hurried over to her. He wanted another chance to convince her to not call off the wedding. They could postpone it until after they found Harm and knew he was alright.

"Not now Mic, I need to talk to the Admiral." ordered Mac. She didn't want to deal with him right now.

Mic was becoming more frustrated. He knew that it was Harm that Mac wanted to talk to the Admiral about. He didn't want her to become any more emotionally involved with what was going on. He had to get her away from all this. Let the Admiral take care of everything.

He frowned and said "Sarah luv, he's not your concern or responsibility anymore. You're my girl now not Harm's. Let the Admiral deal with finding Rabb."

"Don't you understand Mic, it's all my fault. We had a big fight yesterday about him flying today. I told him he shouldn't go because I was getting married and I needed him to be here for me.

He promised me would be back in time. We said a few more choice words. When he asked if I would wish him luck. I didn't because I was upset with him. It's all my fault he crashed into the ocean. He wouldn't have come back tonight if I hadn't insisted." said Mac.

"He's a big boy Sarah. He does what he wants to do when he wants to without any consideration for anyone else. You know that Sarah." replied Mic who was smiling inside knowing he got a good one in on how insensitive Harm could be.

"But it's still my fault. I know how much Harm loves to fly. I knew he had Quals coming up soon. I should have checked with him about when they were." said Mac with her back turned to Mic.

Mic put a hand on her shoulder and replied "The wedding is about us Sarah, not about what's convenient for Rabb. He gave up any say when you said yes to marrying me."

"But one should always be considerate of others when one is making wedding plans. I wanted all my friends to be there. I should have checked for conflicts. If I had checked with Harm I would have known his Quals were this weekend.

We could have pushed the wedding back a week. Then Harm wouldn't have had to fly back in this storm. He could have waited for the storm to subside or moved on." said Mac as she begun to cry again. Mic was beginning to get a little angry now.

"I don't care if it was convenient for him or not. The wedding is not about him Sarah. It's about us! You know he wasn't happy about it. We can still postpone the wedding to a later date after they find him." shouted Mic.

"I told you that the wedding is off Mic, I have finally figured out how much you love me. If it's the same way I love Harm then I don't love you enough to marry you. It wouldn't be fair to you.

I could never love you that much. You should be marrying someone who loves you as much as you love them." said Mac as she went back into the main dining area to talk to the Admiral leaving Mic to himself.

Back in the dining area the Admiral had just gotten off the phone with the Captain Ingles. He was getting ready to leave when Mac caught up to him.

"Sir, any more word on Harm?" asked a worried Mac.

The Admiral had a concerned look on his face when he replied "They have called off the search for the time being. They're going to wait until they get a break in the storm."

"What about Harm? He's out there all alone in a raging storm. He needs our help." wailed Mac softly. "How long are they going to wait before they go back out again Sir?"

"The Captain estimates it could be seven to ten hours before they can return to the search." replied the Admiral.

He could see that Mac was very concerned. He wondered if she was alright? What could be going through her mind? The thought that she would want to go out to the Patrick Henry crossed his mind.

"Sir, I need to be there on the Patrick Henry. I need to be there when they find him." Mac replied with tears beginning to form in her eyes again.

"What about the wedding Sarah? What does Mic think?" asked the Admiral.

"He doesn't understand Sir, I can't get married until I know Harm is alright. I've called off the wedding Sir." said Mac with a little more firmness in her voice. "Harm needs me Sir."

"Alright Colonel, I think I understand." the Admiral replied "Permission granted. I'll call Captain Ingles to let him know you're coming. I'll call Andrews to arrange for a fight out to the Patrick Henry.

It probably won't be available until tomorrow morning. Why don't you go home and get some rest. I'll call you when your flight will be ready. Mic and I will take care of things here."

"But Admiral, I don't want her going out there without me." protested Mic.

"You're not in the Navy anymore Mic. You can't just fly out to a aircraft carrier. One of you needs to be here to inform your guests that the wedding is postpone. You have people to call Mic." the Admiral replied with little patience.

"Why don't you make sure Renee gets home. I'm going to make the necessary calls. Colonel, why don't you go home and get some rest."

"Yes Sir." replied Mac.

"Has anyone notified Harm's parents yet Sir?"

"No, not yet." answered the Admiral.

"Let me Sir." said Mac. "I think they would rather hear about Harm from me Sir. It's all my fault anyways."

"No it's not Mac. The Commander knew the risk. It was his choice to fly back tonight." said the Admiral as he tried to calm her down.

"Yes Sir." said Mac.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part six

0030 hours

Saturday

26 May 2001

Mac's apartment

Mac drove back to her apartment alone. Harriet had offered to take Chloe home with her for the night. She thought about what she would say to Harm's parents. No matter how she did it, telling his mother that Harm was lost at sea wasn't going to be easy.

It was well after midnight by the time she got home. She went up to her apartment and went in. She changed into some sweats and got a cup of hot chocolate. She picked up the telephone and began dialing. She heard the phone ring several times before Trish answered.

"Hello, this is Trish Burnett, who's calling?"

"This is Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, Mrs. Burnett." Mac began.

"Oh! Hello Sarah, you must be Harm's Mac. Please call me Trish. How are you doing Sarah? It's a little late for you to be calling. Is everything alright?" asked Trish.

Mac caught the slip from Trish. She thought of her as Harm's. Maybe there was more behind that statement than she had realized. Harm had said to her many times that she was his marine.

"I'm not doing very well Trish." said Mac as she began to cry. How was she going to tell her that Harm was missing?

"What's wrong dear?" asked a worried Trish. Her motherly instincts were instantly alerted. Something must have happen to Harm, but what? At the sound of her voice Frank leaned up in his chair.

"It's not about Harm is it?" she asked fearing the worse.

"Yes, I'm afraid so Trish." as the tears started flowing down Mac's cheeks much harder. As she replied further she began to sob.

"Harm was returning from the Patrick Henry. He had finished his Quals. He was trying to navigate through a major storm when his plane began to developed instrument trouble. His plane went down. He had to eject."

"Oh no!" cried Trish. Frank was out of his chair and his arms were wrapped around Trish at the sound of Oh.

"What's wrong dear?" asked an anxious Frank.

"It's Harm. His plane went down." cried Trish.

"I'll call the airport and have the company jet ready to go by the time we get there." answered Frank.

"Mac, Frank and I are going to pack a few things and head to the airport. We'll be there early tomorrow morning. I'll call you with the time and which gate we will be arriving at." a more compose Trish informed Mac.

"It's all my fault Trish. We had a nasty fight yesterday and I didn't wish him luck." sobbed Mac.

"It's nobody's fault dear. Harm is a big boy. I'm sure he doesn't blame anyone but himself. We'll see you tomorrow morning dear. Bye Sarah." said Trish.

"Bye Trish, have a good flight." said Mac.

Early the next morning Mac met Trish and Frank at the airport and took them back to Harm's apartment. She went to his bedroom to pack a bag for Harm. She noticed that his dress whites were laid out ready to be worn.

She loved the way they look. He had planned on attending her wedding after all. They had a quick breakfast before heading over to JAG in the Harm's SUV. They talked for a little while.

Mac told them that she was flying out to the Patrick Henry to be there when they brought Harm back to the ship. Trish had asked Mac to stay with them. She knew she was in no condition to be running off.

They wanted to take care of her. She was the woman Harm loved and they wanted her to be with his family while he was missing. She looked like she hadn't slept at all and had been crying all night.

"Why don't you stay here with us Sarah?" asked Trish. "Harm would want you to be with us, his family."

"I need to be there when they find him Trish. He's going to need me. I know it." said Mac.

"I don't understand." said Frank. "He would want you to be here with us so we could support each other."

"I need to be there because I love him. I need to tell him I'm sorry about what happen the other day. I didn't realize how much I love him until his plane went down. I don't know what I'll do if they don't find him. He's my life. He's my reason for being." wailed Mac.

"They'll find him Sarah. I know how you feel. When Harm Sr. was shot down I thought I was going to die, but I had little Harm. He gave me a reason to live, to go on." said Trish.

"He loves you too Sarah. It will give him the strength to endure."

"I know Trish. He finally told me a couple of weeks ago. We shared a passionate kiss and how he felt. It was nice to finally hear him say it." said Mac.

"I know Sarah. He called me that night to tell me that he finally told you that he loved you. I was surprised to hear that you were still going to marry someone else." said Trish.

"I had thought all this marriage pretense was to force him to open up to you and tell you that he loved you."

"At first that may have been true Trish. But as time went on I got to know Mic better and began to love him. Meanwhile Harm became more and more distant. Our friendship suffered a lot during this time.

I thought he didn't love me. So I finally agreed to marry Mic. I think it was the feeling of being love by Mic that was what I loved about Mic." said Mac.

"You should never have to settle for someone to love Sarah. It's not fair to you or for them. You should go after whom ever you want. If you have to, you should fight for him too. The love of a good man, the one you love most is very special." said Trish.

"I know that now. It wasn't until an old friend of Harm got in our faces and asked us both if we were happy that I was marrying Mic. Our friendship slowly got better after that, but Harm still wouldn't say anything. He still wouldn't let go and say he wanted me, that he loved me." said Mac.

"It's not his way Sarah. When it comes to expressing his love for someone it has to happen on his timetable. It can't be hurried. He's much slower then everyone else." said Trish.

"Don't give up on him Sarah."

"I won't Trish. It wasn't until last night when his plane went down that I realized that I love him so much and I couldn't marry anyone else." replied Mac.

When they got to JAG everyone was there. They were all sitting around in a state of shock. Some were praying, some were crying, and some were trying to keep busy.

They couldn't believe that Harm had gone done at sea and was missing. Mac introduced Trish and Frank to everyone. Everyone expressed their concerned and sorrows for Harm. They all had him in their prayers and were certain that he would be found alive.

The Admiral gave everyone an update. It had stopped raining and the search and rescue crews were back out looking for Harm.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part seven

0800 hours

Atlantic Ocean

In the early hours of the morning Harm was still clinging to his life raft. He was half-asleep from the exhaustion of fighting the cold water and trying to stay afloat in the rough ocean.

He was in la la land. He was dreaming about Mac and her wedding. He saw Chloe walking down the aisle in a white dress with roses on it. She was tossing rose petals as she walked. She had the happiest smile on her face. She made the cutest looking flower girl. She was one very special young lady.

Next he saw the bridesmaids walking down the aisle followed by Carolyn. They all were wearing the ugliest orange dresses with ruffled sleeves. Mic must have picked them out, Mac wouldn't embarrass anyone like that.

Finally he saw Mac walking down the aisle. She looked fantastic in her white wedding gown with a low cut front and full bare back with mid length sleeves trimmed with lace.

When she reached the end of the aisle she reached out her hand. He saw a hand reach out for hers. But it wasn't Brumby's hand reaching out! It was his hand. Oh wow!

The chaplain proceeded with the service. He and Mac said their vows and then they kissed for what seems like eternity. If this was a dream he hoped he never woke up.

Andrews

Gunny drove Mac to Andrews as quickly as possible. The Admiral only needed to take one look at her to know she was in no condition to drive there. He told Gunny to take her.

The storm had abated some so she was able to catch a COD out to the Patrick Henry. On the way out to the carrier she asked herself

"Are you sure this is what you want to do. Shouldn't you be home getting ready for your wedding this morning?"

But she realized that there was no way she would be able to get married this morning with Harm missing at sea. He was all she could think about. It also wouldn't be fair to everyone especially Mic.

Their friends were worried about Harm too. How would they be able to be happy for her while they were worried about Harm. Mic and the Admiral had called everyone last night to tell them the wedding had been postpone until Harm was found.

Little did they know that she was serious about not marrying Mic. She couldn't. How could she when she felt this way about Harm? It wouldn't be fair to marry Mic when she was in love with Harm.

The Admiral told them they would be gathering at JAG Headquarters so everyone could be together. But even now she was wondering why she was going to the Patrick Henry. There wasn't anything she could do there.

It was all her fault that Harm was where he was now, lost and hopefully afloat in an angry sea. The turmoil in her heart and mind was consuming her. She remembered the fight they had before he left.

She hadn't wish him luck because she was upset with him. He didn't seem to understand how important it was for her that she needed him there. She had made such an issue about his flying that he had risked everything to come back in the storm to be there for her.

Mac had tears in her eyes. Please Harm, be alright. I love you, and I need you. I don't know how I will be able to go on without you.

An hour later Mac arrived on the Patrick Henry. She was greeted by the FDO, who took her up to the bridge to see Captain Ingles.

"Jag on deck!" yelled the FDO.

"What a pleasant surprise Colonel. I was under the impression that you were getting married this morning." replied Captain Ingles a little too sarcastically.

"What are you doing here Colonel? It's a little early for Jag to be doing an investigation."

"There wasn't any way I could get married with the Commander lost at sea, Sir. He's the most important person in my life. It wasn't my intention to start an investigation of what happen. How's the search and rescue going Sir?" asked Mac.

"Hymm ... very interesting ... We are getting ready to start the search in about twenty minutes Colonel. The seas are starting to settle down." replied the Captain Ingles.

"Why don't you go down to the galley and have something to eat and talk to Lieutenant Hawkes. And if we haven't found Commander Rabb by the time you finish with Lieutenant Hawkes you can have a talk with the communications crew who were on duty last night when we received their may day call."

"Yes Sir." replied Mac. It would keep her busy and she might not worry as much.

Robert's apartment

Back at the Robert's apartment Chloe woke up and went into the kitchen. She was hungry and was looking for something to eat. Mac had asked Harriet to watch her while she was gone.

"Hello honey, how are you doing? asked Harriet.

"I'm hungry, what are we having for breakfast? replied Chloe frankly.

"You sound like your sister Mac. What would you like to eat dear?" ask Harriet sweetly.

"Whatever you're having is fine. How old is AJ? He's really cute. Is Mac really his godmother? Did Mac go out to the carrier? Is the wedding still on? Is Harm going to be alright? Thank you for looking out for me." a talkative Chloe responded in rapid fire succession.

"So many questions with very few good answers. Bud and I are happy to look after you Chloe. You're very special girl and we love you. The wedding has been postponed until they find Harm.

They will find Harm and he'll be alright. Yes Mac did go out to the carrier and I think you know why she went. And we're having scramble eggs, bacon, and waffles." replied a spunky Harriet.

"You mean Mac went out to the carrier because she loves him? asked Chloe.

"I believe so dear." answered Harriet quietly. "After you're finished eating breakfast we can go down to headquarters to get more information if you want."

"I'd like that, thank you." replied a grateful Chloe.

Patrick Henry

Aircraft Carrier

At 1000 hours the search and rescue mission was launched. They went first to the coordinates where they found Skates. They conducted search patterns starting within fifty miles of where Skates was picked up.

They progressed northward allowing for the likely direction that the currents and wind direction from the storm would have taken Harm. They searched all morning and into the afternoon.

Harm was still asleep as the seas had calmed down. He was totally exhausted. He had been trying to keep himself above the waves. He was still having dreams. They were of Mac. He had been dreaming of her a lot lately.

He saw her walking down the aisle of the chapel. She reached out her hand. He took it with his. The ceremony proceeded with elegance, the vows were exchanged, and then finally the kiss. What a kiss!

Later when he woke up and pray that the rescue team would find him. He didn't know how much longer he could last. He was very cold and very tired. He had swallowed a lot of seawater and now was becoming dehydrated.

Patrick Henry

Aircraft Carrier

Mac found Skates in the dining area. She got some eggs and bacon along with a large cup of coffee before she sat down across the table from her. Skates started to stand up as a sign of respect, but Mac wave her not to.

"Ma'am, what are you doing here? I thought you were getting married this morning." asked a puzzled Skates. It was the reason they risked life and limb last night flying in the storm.

"There's no way I could get married today with Harm lost at sea. And please call me Mac, Lieutenant." replied Mac.

"Then please call me Beth." said Skates.

"So how are you doing Beth? It looks like you have some cuts and bruises." asked a concerned Mac.

"I'm doing okay considering I had to punch out. I don't think there's a part of my body that doesn't hurt." responded Skates.

"I know the feeling." said Mac. "My six was sore for a month the time I did."

"You've punched out Mac? I never knew that. Harm has told me so many good things about you." queried Skates.

"Yeah, when Harm and I went to Russia we stole a Mig. They weren't too happy about it so they shot us down." replied Mac.

"I'm sure they weren't. I wasn't aware that you've flown before Mac." inquired an amazed Skates.

"Yes Beth, I have flown a few times with Harm. But before you ask, no I didn't enjoy it. I've felt sick every time I have except when he takes me flying in his Stearman.

I really enjoy that. That was really fantastic. He even lets me fly the plane for awhile. He hasn't let me land the plane though." replied Mac as a smile came across her face.

"So this wasn't the first time Harm had to punch out?" asked a confused Skates.

"No Beth. Actually this was his third time." said Mac.

"Wow!" said Skates. "And he's still flying?"

"Yes. It's in his blood. What I don't understand though is why he would have risk flying back in such a storm. I would have been mad at him for missing my wedding, but I would have understood." said Mac.

"He loves you Mac. He has for a very long time. When he was flying with us two years ago you were the only thing he ever talked about. How much he loved you and how much he missed seeing and working with you every day.

When you came out here to investigate Lieutenant Buxton he was so happy. He came alive for the first time in months. He loved spending time with you. We could all see how much you both were in love.

The way you two would look at each other. I never saw two people smile as much as you two did. It wasn't a surprise when he gave up flying tomcats and returned to Jag." said Skates.

"I thought they pushed him out and he was settling by coming back to Jag." responded Mac.

"Oh no Mac, he could have stayed on for a few more years if all he wanted to do was fly tomcats. He just wouldn't have gotten promoted. He went back to Jag because he missed you.

He wanted you in his life everyday, not just a few weeks a year. I mean he still loves to fly, but he loves you more Mac." Skates replied gleefully.

"I never knew that. He should have said something, then again he always tells everyone else he loves me, but he doesn't seem to be able to tell me. Men! Thank you Beth." said a happier Mac.

Finally around 1300 hours they got a signal from Harm's distress beacon. It was very weak. It was another thirty minutes before they located him. The Captain sent one of his officers to find Mac. Fifteen minutes later Mac arrived on the bridge.

"We've located Commander Rabb, Colonel." Captain Ingles said with pride. "They have picked him up and will be back here with him in twenty minutes."

"Thank you Captain. Sir, With your permission I'll like to go down to the flight deck to wait for him." Mac replied happily.

"Permission granted Colonel."

Mac was on the deck as the heilo landed. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She saw the corpsmen carrying Harm out of the helio. As Harm came closer Mac walked over him. She stopped in front of him and smiled.

"Permission to come aboard Ma'am." smiled Harm weakly.

"Permission granted sailor. How are you doing Harm?" asked a concerned Mac.

"He's a bit out of it Ma'am. He has hypothermia." replied one of the corpsman. Mac leaned down to give him a hug.

"I'm here Harm and I'm going to stay here with you. You're going to be alright. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to take care of you." said Mac as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Ma'am we need to get him to sick bay." said a corpsman.

"I'll see you later Harm after they check you out. I need to make some phone calls. There are a lot of worried people praying for your rescue and hoping that you're alright." a relieved Mac said.

Before she left Harm mumbled "I love you Sarah."

Mac replied softly with a smile "I love you too sailor."

While Harm was being checked out in sick bay Mac went to the communication center and made a called to Jag. Everyone was still there. Gunny had arranged for some coxes and blankets to be set up in the offices last night. Everyone was resting when the telephone rang. Gunny jumped up and answered it.

"JAG headquarters, Gunny Sergeant Galindez speaking."

"Hello Gunny, this is Colonel MacKenzie speaking. Is the Admiral there?"

"Yes Ma'am. Hold on Ma'am, Let me get him." said Gunny.

Gunny went around the offices to alert everyone that Colonel MacKenzie was on the telephone. They all gathered in the Admiral's office.

"Colonel, this is the Admiral, I have you on the speakerphone. Everyone is here including Harm parents."

"Good afternoon Sir, I have good news about Commander Rabb. He was found a little while ago. He was brought back here to the Patrick Henry and is in sick bay being check out. He's sleeping right now.

Except for a case of hypothermia, some scratches and an upset stomach from swallowing a lot of seawater he doing as well as can be expected. We'll be flying back to Andrews and then to Bethesda sometime tonight." said Mac.

"Commander Rabb will have to spend a few days at Bethesda. He won't be ready to have visitors." continued Mac. "I'll call tomorrow to let you know when he can have visitors. Good afternoon everyone."

Everyone went over to Trish and Frank. They gave Frank and Trish a hug and express how happy they were that Harm was found. Everyone at this point went home. Frank and Trish went back to Harm's place.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part eight

Mac went back to sickbay. Harm didn't look very good. He was very pale and sickly looking. He had swallowed a lot of seawater. He was very tired, but he woke up when she spoke to him.

He was very happy to see her standing there. She walked over and gave him a kiss on his forehead. She sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"How are you doing sailor?" asked Mac. "Looks like you lost your sea legs. I'm so happy to see you. I was scared that we lost you and I wasn't going to see you again. I'm very sorry I didn't wish you luck the other day. I know how important it is for you to fly. It's all my fault you crashed."

"Hi marine. I feel as green as your uniform." They both shared a chuckle.

"You have no reason to apologized to me. It was my own fault for not wanting to be there for you. You know how big my ego can get. I thought I could do my Quals and still get back here in time for you.

It was my ego and my love for you that got me into that plane to try to get back here in time during one of the worst storms of the century." responded Harm.

"I know that, but I shouldn't have been angry with you. I should have understood and wish you luck. I love you so much Harm. I didn't want our last time together to have been spent fighting." Mac replied sadly with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I don't know what I would have done if you had died." tears were now flowing down her cheeks.

"I love you too Sarah. I had a lot of time to think while I was floating in my little raft. It was the thought that I hadn't told you how much I love you that kept me going. It was what kept me alive.

I needed to get back to you and tell you that I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Sarah. That you are more important to me then flying. Sarah, I love you." He then fell into a peaceful sleep.

"I love you too Flyboy." responded a very tired, but very relieved marine.

An hour later Mac called the Roberts to talked to Chloe. She asked her if she was being a good girl. She also wanted to let her know she would be back soon.

"Hi Chloe, Are you behaving for Harriet?" asked Mac.

"Hi Mac. Yes I am. Little Aj is so cool. How's Harm doing?" asked a concerned Chloe.

"He's okay considering he spent the night in the ocean. It had to be one of the worse storms ever." replied Mac.

"Did you tell Harm that you love him?" asked an amused Chloe.

"Chloe! You never quit do you." replied a flustered Mac.

"Well did Harm tell you that he loves you?" asked a determine Chloe.

"Chloe, enough already. If you promise not to tell anyone and keep it our little secret." smiled Mac.

"Yes, yes Mac, I promise." begged Chloe.

"Then the answers to your two questions are yes and yes." smiled Mac as she heard Chloe screaming into the phone.

"I knew it, I knew it. Harm loves you Mac."

"Yes Chloe, you were right all along. I take it you're happy with this news. Remember Chloe this is our little secret. Don't tell Harriet or Bud." smiled Mac.

Later that afternoon Mac called Frank and Trish at Harm's place. She told them that Harm would be returning to Bethesda by 2200 hours tonight.

Then she told Trish. "He said he loved me Trish."

"I am so happy that you were there for him Mac. Have a safe trip back and we'll meet you in a few hours." sighed Trish in relief.

2200 hours

Bethesda

Naval Hospital

Mac arrived in the heilo with Harm at Bethesda. Harm was wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. He was sleeping very deeply. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness due to the hypothermia.

Trish saw them coming as Harm was brought into the emergency room. She was alarm to see Harm not moving. She looked over to Frank and the Admiral in anguished.

Renee was stalking around in the background. She didn't like the idea that Mac had gone out to the Patrick Henry to bring Harm back. That should have been her job. He was her boyfriend. Mac was suppose to be marrying Bugme.

They went up to Mac and asked "What's wrong with Harm. I thought you said he was alright."

"He is Trish, but he's very tired and is suffering from hypothermia. He was out there in the cold ocean for a very long time. They consider it a miracle that he's still alive.

His body needs time to recover from the cold. He's going to be staying here for a couple of days and he probably won't wake up until sometime tomorrow afternoon at the earliest." replied Mac.

"He's still going to be able to ... to perform?" asked Renee.

"Renee his body temperature is below normal, he wasn't castrated." replied Mac as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Why don't you all go home and get some rest. I'll stay here and make sure that he's taken care of. I'll call you both when he wakes up, Okay." ordered Mac.

"Thank you so much Sarah for taking care of my boy." said Trish as she gave Mac a big hug. "I don't know what I would have done if you weren't around to make sure he was alright."

"That's what partners are for Trish. We take care of each other and watch out for each other's six." smiled Mac.

Renee mumbles to herself "Yeah right. You don't want Mic anymore so you're going to take Harm away from me."

"Renee, this is a military hospital. Unless you're his next of kin or emergency point of contact you can't stay. I'm Harm's emergency point of contact because we go away on a lot of investigations together.

We both decided a long time ago that it made sense to have someone who was always there to make those kind of decisions as quickly as possible." replied Mac.

"He's my emergency point of contact for the same reason. Okay?"

"It does make sense." mumbled Renee.

"Go home Renee and get some rest. He should be awake by tomorrow afternoon. I'll call you if anything should happen." replied a very tired Mac.

Mac spent the night by Harm's bed in the hospital. She didn't want to leave him. She wanted to be there for him if he woke up and needed something. She took his hand in hers and pray to God. She thanked him for bringing Harm back to her and to allow him to get well.

She fell asleep with her head resting on his chest. The next morning she was awakened when Trish placed a hand on her shoulder. Trish smiled when she saw Mac sleeping with her head on Harm's chest as she walked into the room.

She was a special young lady. She could understand why Harm felt the way he did about her. She handed Mac a large cup of black coffee. It was extra strong the way marines like it.

"How's he doing Sarah?" asked Trish.

"He slept through the night. A nurse came in here early this morning to check on his core temperature. She said he was coming along nicely. It should be normal around noontime today. He will probably sleep until then." replied Mac as she drank her coffee.

"I wouldn't count on it. Patience isn't his middle name. He'll be awake before then." said Trish. "Why don't you go home and get some rest. Harm will understand."

"I want to stay here until he wakes up. Then I will know he's alright." replied Mac.

"You really care for him don't you Sarah. I'm so happy that he has someone like you in his life." Trish said happily.

"I love him Trish. It not hard to want to be there for him when he's your life." smiled Mac.

"Still I want you to go home and at least get clean up and get something to eat. I'll be here with him." Trish replying that she would not take no for an answer.

"Okay Trish, I'll go. I don't know if I'll be able to eat anything." said Mac.

"If you're going to take care of my boy you have to eat and stay healthy." smiled Trish

A few hours later Harm woke up. He wanted to get up and go home. But his mother put her hand on his chest and said "You better lie back down Harm. You're not going anywhere for a couple of days. You're going to stay put until the doctor says otherwise."

"You know I don't like hospitals Mom. I need to get out of here. Where's Mac?" replied Harm.

"I'm right here Flyboy. And your mother is right. You are not getting out of that bed and that's an order!" smiled Mac. She was so happy to see him awake and grumpy. It meant he was close to being his old self.

"You were right Trish, he wouldn't stay asleep to noon." smiled Mac.

"I know my boy pretty well Sarah, though I don't think I know him as well as you do now." laughed Trish.

"Well I don't know everything about him either, though I think if we compare notes ... " laughed Mac.

"I'm so please to see that you both are being amused by my infirmity. But I am happy that you two are getting along. You two are the most important people in the world to me." Harm replied with some relief.

"I'll go and get us some lunch. Why don't you visit with him Trish. I know you don't get to spend as much time with him as you like." Mac replied.

"Thank you Sarah." said a happy Trish.

Mac called Harriet on her cell phone. She wanted to know how Chloe was doing.

"Hello Harriet, It's me Mac. I'm calling to let you know Harm is awake and to see how Chloe is doing." said Mac.

"She's doing just fine Ma'am. She likes looking after Aj. She's happy that the Commander is okay. She does miss you though." said Harriet.

"Will you let her know I'll be there in a little while to pick her up. I'm picking lunch up for Trish, Frank, Harm and myself." said Mac.

"Are you sure Ma'am? We don't mind looking after her." said Harriet.

"Okay Harriet, you can keep her for another day, but I want to spend some time today with her and I know she's going to want to see Harm. He's her knight in shining armor." laughed Mac.

Mac went over to the Roberts and picked up Chloe. They went to Beltway Burger and HO's House of Noodles restaurant for take out. They then went back to the hospital to eat lunch with Harm.

"You better eat up good Flyboy. I don't know what they are going to feed you for dinner." smiled Mac as she handed him a Beltway Burger bag.

"What is this! You're not going to feed me this for lunch? Are you trying to kill me?" exclaimed Harm as the others looked on with amusement.

"You need to get some color back into your cheeks, squid. You need dead cow." explained Mac as Chloe laughed.

"No way marine am I eating this." replied Harm as he handed the bag back to her.

Mac sighed as she took it and gave it to Chloe who happily ate the double cheeseburger and large helping of fries. She then handed Harm one of the bags from Ho's bringing a smile to Harm's face.

They all shared a laugh together knowing Harm was alright. They also loved the bantering between Harm and Mac. Only two people in love could have so much fun bantering.

A little while later Harm asked Mac "What are you bringing me for dinner?"

"Nothing stick boy, you don't appreciate the finer marine cuisine. You're on your own tonight. You'll have to eat whatever the hospital decides to feed you." smiled Mac.

"Come on Mac, you know hospital food sucks. Please bring me something good for dinner. You know I would for you." Harm responded with his best puppy dog look.

"Do I look like your slave or mother. You will have to get down on your knees and beg before I start catering to your whims Flyboy." laugh Mac.

"That can be arranged." Harm replied looking seriously into her eyes. Everyone became very quiet for a moment before Trish cut in.

"Be nice Harmon. When you get out of the hospital you're going to need someone to look after you. Frank and I are only going to be here for another week."

"Okay Mom, I'll play nice. Thank you Mac for taking the time to bring me lunch. The hospital lunches are terrible." shuddered Harm as he thought about the vile food.

"That's okay Flyboy. We're partners, remember." smiled Mac.

"About the wedding, I'm sorry Mac." said Harm.

"That's okay Harm. When your plane went down it made me realize that I didn't love Mic. That it would be a mistake to marry him. I called off the wedding.

I realized that no matter how deeply I tried to bury my feelings for you I couldn't. I love you Harm, only you." replied Mac as a tear began to seep down her cheek.

"I love you too Sarah. I did a lot of soul searching while I was out there in the ocean fighting to survive. I made a promise to myself and to God that if I was rescue I wouldn't waste any more time and tell you.

Sarah, I love you with all my heart. You are my heart and soul. I can't remember a day when I wasn't in love with you. I'll never let another day go by without telling you."

"Oh Harm!" cried Mac as she got up on Harm's bed so that they could be in each other's arms.

Outside in the hallway Renee was standing there stunned. She had heard Harm and Mac talking as she stood in the doorway getting ready to enter Harm's room. She needed to know how Harm really felt about Mac.

He would never tell her when she confronted him about her. When she heard Harm tell Mac he loved her, Renee knew it was all over for her. She had tears in her eyes. She turned and walked away. As she was leaving the building she ran into Mic.

When Mic saw her crying he asked her "Are you alright luv? Is it Harm? Is he alive?"

All she could do was look at him before replying "No Mic I'm not, Harm is fine, and it's all over between the two of us. Harm doesn't love me. He loves someone else." She then began sobbing and ran to her car.

Mic had a stunned constipated look on his face. He was in deep despair as he began to realize what Renee was trying to tell him. He knew what Renee's little diatribe was all about. Harm loved Mac. He knew Mac must love Harm.

Why else would she have flown out to the Patrick Henry instead of staying home with him and their friends. He had been counting on Harm screwing up again. He hoped that Harm would not to be able to tell Mac that he loved her.

Unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case this time. He might as well go back to Mac's place and gather up all his things. It was time for him to go home, back to the Land down under.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part nine

1100 hours

Wednesday

30 May 2001

Harm's Apartment

A couple of days later Mac took Harm back to his place. They were all alone for the time being. Trish and Frank were coming over later. They wanted to give Harm some time to get settled in before they came by.

Mac was surprised that Renee wasn't there waiting to greet them. Harm then told her that Renee had phone him yesterday while she was out getting dinner. Renee told him she was returning to LA.

Renee knew that he was in love with her and now that she wasn't marrying Mic that he would try to mend fences with her. Renee said goodbye and wished him well.

Mac mentioned to Harm that when she went home yesterday she had found a note from Mic saying he was returning to Oz and the navy. He wished her well and hoped that all her dreams would come true.

Harm was happy that no one was there but he and Mac. He needed time to get settled and he wasn't ready for too much excitement all at once. Harm and Mac wrapped their arms around each other and hugged for a couple of minutes. Mac then looked up to Harm.

"Are you okay Harm? I'm so sorry about the other day. You had every right to go out to the Patrick Henry and keep up your Quals. I know how much you love to fly. I was wrong to give you such a hard time. I should have known your Quals were coming up. You didn't owe me any explanations."

"I'm sorry too Sarah. I didn't want you to know I was taking my Quals. I was angry that you were marrying Mic and I really didn't want to be there. I didn't want to see you marrying anyone else. I didn't want you to marry Mic. I want you to only marry me.

I want us to take the time to get to know each other again. I want to build upon our relationship. I want us to take it slow and easy. I want us to do it right. I love you Sarah MacKenzie." Harm said as he closed his eyes and gave her a gentle kiss.

"I love you too Harm." Mac was on cloud nine right now.

He had called her Sarah, her given name. It always sounded so good the way he said it. She didn't have the same feeling whenever anyone else including Mic, called her Sarah.

"When your plane went down I realized I could lose you. I realized then that I didn't love Mic the way I love you. I tried to bury my feelings for you, but I couldn't anymore. I couldn't marry him. I told him it was over the night of the crash.

Even though I loved him I didn't love him the way I love you. I told him it wouldn't be fair to either him or me if we got married. He shouldn't have to settle on someone who can't love him the same way he loved me." responded Mac with sadness in her voice. Harm leaned down and kissed her.

"There have been only two women in my life that I thought I could ever love, Diane and you Sarah. When Diane died, I didn't think I could love anyone like that ever again, but I was so wrong.

When I met you in the Rose garden that day I thought I was given a second chance for love. All the old feelings of loving someone started to come back to me. They overwhelmed me for a long time.

I didn't know if I love you for being you or because you looked like Diane. It took me a while to figure that out. I loved you Sarah for who you are and not because you looked like Diane.

The love I had with Diane, which I thought was so real, pales in comparison with the love I feel for you. My love for you is so much more then anything I ever had with Diane.

I finally figured it out when I left Jag to fly tomcats again. I thought about you a lot while I was gone. You mean everything to me Sarah. You are my life, but when I returned from flying you were getting along so much better with Bugme.

It threw me, especially when you didn't welcome me back with opened arms. I wasn't ready on the ferry to deal with my feelings for you because I had resigned myself that you had moved on to Bugme.

When you ran to Bugme afterwards and excepted his ring, it confirmed in my mind you didn't love me and had moved on." said Harm.

"I'm sorry Harm, but when you left to fly tomcats again, I had to learn to live my life without you. For all I knew you could have been gone for a long time. You did say something about five years when we made the baby deal.

I also had to work with Mic. With you gone I let my defenses down with Mic. I found out he wasn't such a bad guy. Just a little over zealous in his need for my attention.

I saw him eventually as a possible alternative to you if you didn't come back. It took me a little while to get use to having you back. The Admiral didn't help much when he didn't put us back together right away.

And for your information I didn't take his ring. He forced it on my right hand after I told him I couldn't marry him. I only left the ring on my right hand to let you know that if you didn't want me then there was someone else who did.

But before we could sit down and talk about it when we got back you went after the video princess. At first I thought you were only trying to hurt me for wearing Mic's ring, but later I thought it was because you really didn't love me." replied Mac.

"You're right Sarah, I messed up big time. I was hurt when you came back with his ring. After all I was the one who said originally it was only a friendship ring, but I let my foolish male pride take over.

As they say the rest is history. I'm very sorry Sarah for that. All this is really all my fault. We should have been able to sit down and talked about what happen on the ferry.

In the past we would have done so, but our relationship was a little strained because of my leaving. We weren't in synch anymore. We both have been in love with each other for so long, but were afraid to say anything.

When you had the courage to come out and asked me about having and wanting a loving relationship with me, I act like a dumb awestruck teenager and wasn't able to tell you that I love you,

but I wasn't ready yet to be with you. I needed a little time to work out some issues. I'm so sorry Sarah." continued Harm.

"It's okay Harm. I shouldn't have given up on you so quickly. I also should have known that wearing his ring would have upset you and not gotten you to respond the way I wanted you too. I should have just given Mic back the ring the night he gave it to me. I love you Harmon Rabb."

"I love you too Sarah MacKenzie."

0900 hours

Wednesday

6 June 2001

Jag Headquarters

A week later Mac went back to work. She wanted to stay with Harm in his apartment, but she knew she couldn't. Even though Harm was still hurting quite a bit after the crash he could get by on his own.

Since she wasn't married to him or even his fiancee, she couldn't get compassionate leave to take care of him. She had used up a few of her leave days to be with him right after his recovery.

The Admiral had even given her a week off to help Harm. But she didn't want to use up all her leave right now. She wanted to keep some for later when the weather was good and Harm was healthy. Then they could go off and spend some quality time together.

When she arrived at Jag that morning PO Tiner was waiting for her. The Admiral wanted to see her when she came in. She figured that all the Admiral wanted her for was to ask about Harm and assign some of his cases over to her until he was able to return to Jag. But she was surprise with the news the Admiral gave her.

"Welcome back Colonel. How are you doing?" asked the Admiral.

"Good Sir. It feels good to be back here at Jag. It will feel good to start working again." replied Mac.

"How's the Commander doing? I haven't seen him in a week. He must be getting a little stir crazy." responded the Admiral still trying to keep the conversation light.

"He's doing fine Sir. He's starting to get up and about with the aid of a cane. He's still quite sore. I think he's been hurting too much to feel stir crazy, but that might change by the end of the week.

If he gets the doctor's approval he'll probably want to start back to work next week though on a limited basis." replied Mac wishful that she could be home with him right now.

"That good to hear Colonel. Now for the reason I called you in here. I just received a report that a marine Major who was serving in a Jag capacity on the Guadalcanal was lost overboard during a storm.

I need you to go TAD for ninety days until a replacement is sent. I know this is sudden and I know you would rather not go, but I need you to." requested the Admiral.

"You're right Sir. I would rather stay here. Even though the Commander is out of the hospital and is recovering nicely he still needs my help. Also Sir, we're already one lawyer short, if I go, then we would be two people short." argued Mac.

"I've already taken care of that Colonel. A Commander Turner will be joining us before the end of the week. We can get by until next week without Commander Rabb." the Admiral responding to her concerns.

"But Sir!" wailed Mac.

"Sorry Colonel, but they want a marine Jag. You're the only one I have available." replied the Admiral. "Your flight leaves tomorrow morning at 1000 hours from Andrews."

Mac went back to her office and slammed the door. She felted like crying, but knew it wouldn't do her any good. She busied herself around her office taken care of things she had neglected while she was gone. After helping herself to some coffee later she sat there thinking about Harm at her desk.

"It sucks!" she thought to herself.

After five years of dancing around their feelings she and Harm were finally on the same page. They had finally told each other how much in love they were with each other. They were ready to start the next phase of their strange relationship together.

They wanted to date like normal people. They wanted to explore their feelings for one another, but like always, just when things between them seemed to be working out okay, something or someone would pop up and throw it off track.

She was being shipped out for the next three months was just another example of their bad luck. When were they ever going to have a chance to be together like everyone else?

On her way over to Harm's after work she stop off at the local supermarket and picked up some groceries. She had talked to Harriet earlier about checking in with Harm while she was away.

She asked her to make sure Harm ate right and exercise while he was recovering. Tonight she was going to fix him one of his favorites, vegetarian lasagna.

She was busy in the kitchen when Harm came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hymm something smells really good in here marine." said Harm.

"I'm fixing one of your favorites, vegetarian lasagna." responded Mac with a smile.

She loved the feeling she got every time Harm held her in his arms. She felt so good and secure. It was moments like this she treasured and would always remember.

"You must love me a lot to be cooking me a vegetarian lasagna." smiled Harm. "Or you're waiting to tell me something that I don't want to hear."

"A little of both I guess." said Mac. "I was waiting to tell you after dinner, but I guess I can tell you now. The Admiral told me this morning that I'm going TAD to the Guadalcanal in the Indian Ocean for ninety days."

"Duty calls I guess. I'm going to miss you while you're gone. Especially since it seems like we have finally gotten our relationship straighten out and on the same page. I love you Sarah MacKenzie. I'll be here waiting here for you when you get back." smiled Harm as he kissed her.

"I love you too Harmon Rabb. I'm going to miss you so much. It hurts to even think about leaving you at this time." wailed Mac as tears began to form in her eyes.

"When do you have to leave Mac?" asked Harm.

"Tomorrow morning Harm. I've asked Harriet to check in on you to make sure you're doing okay." sighed Mac.

"Then we better make the most of tonight. You better take it easy on me though. I'm very fragile right now." teased Harm.

"Well I'm in a fragile state too. Emotionally I'm afraid to leave you right now after what we've been through the last few weeks." cried Mac.

"I'm going to treat you as my most prized possession." responded Harm.


	10. Chapter 10

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part ten

0900 hours

Wednesday

13 June 2001

Jag Headquarters

A week later Harm returned to Jag on a limited basis. He still hadn't fully recovered from all his injuries. He had injured his back and right knee as a result of the ejection. But he would be able to return to full duty the following week.

When Harm arrived Monday morning he was called into the Admiral's office to meet the new lawyer assigned to Jag. The new man was name Commander Sturgis Turner. He was an old academy classmate and was a year behind Harm.

He had been a bubblehead for ten years after the academy, but like Harm he had later become a lawyer. Harm was happy to have Turner at Jag. It was good to have a friend to hang out with. He hadn't had anyone like that at Jag in a long time.

He did have Mac, but Mac wasn't a guy, so she didn't like to do a lot of things he liked to do to relax. With Mac it was running and kickboxing, but little else.

Bud wasn't his idea of a good buddy either. For one thing he was a junior officer, but more importantly he wasn't a man's man. Bud was a buffoon, a computer geek with weird interests, and was a physical nightmare. Bud was at home in a chair in front of his computer.

Harm liked being in the outdoors, flying Sarah, hiking, and camping. When he thought about flying his mind wandered to Mac. She liked the outdoors too, though not to the same extreme. She enjoyed the finer things that life brought.

Over the years he and Mac had gone on many day trips flying in Sarah, setting down in a mountain meadow somewhere for a picnic and hiking the trails checking out something interesting that they had seen from the air.

They were some of the best days of his life. It was going to be one of the first things he was going to do with Mac after she returned. He couldn't wait for her to come back, to see her once again, and to make love with her for the first time in a mountain meadow.

For the rest of the summer Harm worked out getting back into shape with Turner and working on restoring his corvette. He and Turner search out for an engine to work on. Then they rebuilt the brake system.

They found an old corvette that didn't run anymore, but with a decent body that wasn't in bad shape. So they bought it and cleaned it up. Before they put it on the chassis they put in the drive train and engine and it associate parts.

Once that was done they hooked up the exhaust system and all the electrical wiring and parts they were going to need. This work would take most of the fall.

Guadalcanal

Indian Ocean

Meanwhile Mac was spending her summer on the Guadalcanal as the fleet Jag. For most of the summer it was quite uneventful except when they had marine and sailors on shore leave at the same time.

It was then that they would have a few fights in the local bars, they usually fought over the local beauties. Mac would always wonder how one marine and one sailor would always want the same girl.

The name calling would begin leading up to one or the other questioning the manhood of the other. After the second time this happen she got together with the Captain and it was agreed that the sailors and marines would take shore leave on different days.

The usual punishment was loss of pay for one half month, extra duty, and no shore leave the next time they were in port. It was a good deterrent. Very seldom did she have any repeat customers.

1000 hours

Monday

27 Aug 2001

Ache, Indonesia

Then one day late in the summer, Mac received a communication from fleet command Pacific that a marine had been arrested for raping a local woman in Ache, Indonesia. The marine was part of the marine guard at the U.S. Embassy.

What a nightmare she found when she and Gunny arrived at the local police station where Captain Gerald met her. She tried to negotiate with him about releasing the marine into her custody.

She tried to explain to him that the U.S. military liked to try their own. Unfortunately the Captain wasn't buying into any of it. There was no Arm Forces agreement between the two countries.

He was looking for bail money from Mac, it was extortion as far as the Gunny was concerned. All Mac had to offer the Captain was the engagement ring she still had from Mic.

Gunny tried to dissuade her from giving up her ring, but Mac knew she had no choice. Even though she didn't want to paid the extortion fee she knew she couldn't leave a marine behind. And anyway the ring didn't mean anything to her anymore.

After Mac returned to the American Embassy she had the marine put under house arrest and thought all their problems would end there until she got back to the Guadalcanal. Unfortunately they were followed back to the embassy by an angry mob.

Over the next day and a half the crowd outside the embassy grew larger and more unruly. It was estimated that over ten thousands people surrounded the embassy compound. The Ambassador and his staff were beginning to worry.

When the local police left the embassy unprotected the marine guard decided to secure the compound by locking the gates. During this time someone threw a grenade in the crowd killing the gunny in charge of security and serious injuring his second in command.

The highest ranking marine left wanted to place machine guns out in the compound and on the roof to intimidate the crowd, but Mac wouldn't let him. She told him to wait until it was absolutely necessary. They were not going to cause an International Incident if she could help it.

1900 hours

American Embassy

After consulting with ambassador she determined that it was necessary to evacuate the embassy. She asked the ambassador how long he needed. He told her he needed two hours to follow the proper protocols for destroying sensitive material.

Mac got on the phone to the Captain of the Guadalcanal about sending in a heilo to evacuate the embassy. They would need two hours.

The heilo arrived fifteen minutes before the appointed pickup time. As they were flying in they were met by small arms fire. Bullets were also coming through the windows of the embassy. Mac ordered the marine guard to hold their fire and just take cover.

The helio contacted Mac telling her they couldn't pick them up while they were being fired upon. At this time a local schoolgirl told Mac of a secret passageway that would lead them out of the compound to a point a few blocks away.

There was a school another block from there. Mac informed the heilo of the new extraction point. Mac got the embassy staff and the marine guard together. She explained what they were going to do next. She urged them to move quickly and quietly and to stay together.

Fifteen minutes later they were at the school with the heilo landing. The civilians were very nervous when they heard grenades landing all around them and small arms fire, they were beginning to panic.

But that's when Mac drew upon her marine officer's training and took control. She told them to remain calm, keep moving towards the heilo, and everything would be alright.

She got them to the heilo safely. Gunny was covering her back with suppression fire. She ordered Gunny to get in who then pulled her in.

2200 hours

Guadalcanal

An hour later they were back on the Guadalcanal. She reported in with the Captain. She gave him a quick review of what happen. The captain then dismissed her so she could get clean up and get something to eat.

He knew marines were always hungry. He told Mac he was looking forward to reading her full report. After Mac had showered and eaten she wrote up her report. She met up with the Captain in his ready room.

"Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie reporting Sir." barked Mac.

"At ease Colonel and take a sit please." replied the Captain.

Mac handed her report to the Captain. She got herself a cup of coffee while the Captain read her report.

"You did an outstanding job Colonel. You should be proud of yourself. It's not often that a woman marine officer can flex her command muscle in a combat situation." smiled the Captain.

"I didn't do anything but what I was trained to do Sir. All I did was my duty." replied Mac.

"You did a lot more then just your duty Colonel. You handled a very delicate and volatile situation without causing an International Incident.

I don't know if anyone else would have been able to handle the situation as well as you did. You'll probably receive a medal for this." the Captain replied seriously.

"I can't imagine why Sir. As I said before all I did was my duty. Nothing of note happened to draw international attention Sir. The embassy staff didn't want to stay so I got them out." replied Mac.

"Colonel, we have a feed from ZNN. We were able to track what was happening at the American Embassy while you were there. You were the star of ZNN coverage. They estimate there were was a crowd of over ten thousand people surrounding the embassy.

They were getting very unruly. They reported a grenade went off killing a marine while he was securing the gate. There was small arms fire during the day and that some of the fire actually hit the embassy itself." smiled the Captain again.

It still amazed him after nearly three months of knowing her how modest she really was. No wonder why she was on the fast track to General and had been the youngest woman ever promoted to major and lieutenant colonel. She was very special.

"Sir, we weren't even aware of that. All we knew was we had a job to do Sir. To protect the embassy staff, to ensure that all sensitive documents were destroyed, to maintain the peace with the locals, and get everyone out when the situation broke done. Like I said before all we did was do our jobs." Mac replied again modestly.

"You did more then just your job Colonel. You had a very serious situation that could have led to an International Incident. You handled yourself and the situation very well." responded the Captain.

"I still don't understand all the fuss Sir. I didn't do anything special. It was all in a day's work." replied Mac.

"Sometimes Colonel it's not what you do, but how you do it. Colonel you evacuated twenty three people to safety without anyone getting hurt. You also had a choice of whether to fire into or above the crowd, but you didn't.

You avoided the prospect of causing civilian casualties of the people of Indonesia. I don't think anyone could have done a better job. You deserve whatever honors that are bestowed upon you Colonel." replied the Captain with respect.

"Thank you Sir. It's been an honor serving with you." replied Mac.

"I'll get this report back to Washington." said the Captain.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part eleven

0700 hours

Wednesday

29 Aug 2001

SecNav's office

The next morning the SecNav called the Admiral into his office. He wanted to discuss Mac's heroics in Indonesia. He wanted the Admiral to call a press conference for that afternoon highlighting Mac's accomplishments and that she has been nominated for the Meritorious Service Medal.

It was highest award given to a marine and only the second one ever given to a female marine. The military will shine and lawyers will look good too.

"AJ, I can't tell you how important this is. What Colonel MacKenzie did over there in Indonesia to insure peace and stability in a very unstable political environment was remarkable. You should be very proud of her.

She's a national heroine. We need to play up her accomplishment carefully. It will make for good press right now for the military at a time it's sorely needed. She's a credit to the uniform, the marines and all Americans." said the SecNav very seriously.

"That's she is Sir. When do you want the press conference to begin." replied a proud Admiral.

"I've call for one at 1300 hours this afternoon. Have one of your staff address the press corp." smirked the SecNav.

"You wouldn't have a problem with Commander Rabb doing it Sir. He knows the Colonel better then anyone else and is the best one who available to answer any questions about her." queried the Admiral.

"No, I don't AJ. Especially not in this case anyway. Rabb has been the navy poster boy the last few years. He was part of the navy's ad campaign last year. He's highly recognizable and liked by the press.

And besides AJ, who better then an officer with two Distinguish Flying Cross medals to announce that she will be receiving the Meritorious Service Medal." responded the SecNav happily.

"The Meritorious Service Medal, Sir? That's highly unusual Sir." asked the Admiral.

"Yes it is AJ. The Ambassador to Indonesia recommended her for the highest possible award. The Captain of the Guadalcanal supports her receiving the award in a report we have received. He believed that no one could have handled the situation any better. I agree.

The award will be presented to her next week in the White House Rose Garden. I would like to see Commander Rabb present it to her. Uniform of the day for both will be Dress Blues." replied a more than satisfied SecNav.

"Yes Sir. I'll take care of everything." stated a pleased Admiral.

0900 hours

Jag Headquarters

Harm had just come out of the break room with a cup of coffee. He was worried about Mac. He had seen what had been happening on ZNN to her in Indonesia. He hadn't heard from her yet. He didn't know if she was alright yet.

As he sat down at his desk to look the case he was trying, Tiner knocked on his door to tell him that the Admiral wanted to see him in his office.

"Sir, the Admiral would like to see you." stated Tiner.

"Thank you Tiner I'll be right there. Do you know what's it about?" asked Harm.

"I think it has something to do with Colonel MacKenzie, Sir." replied Tiner.

Harm walked over to the Admiral's door and knocked on it. The Admiral bellowed "Enter." He then directed Harm to sit down in one of the chairs.

"You might have wonder why I have called you into my office this morning Commander." began the Admiral.

"Yes Sir." replied Harm. "I assume it has something to do with the Colonel."

"Yes it does Commander. SecNav has called for a 1300 hours press conference to talk about the Colonel's action yesterday at the American Embassy in Indonesia. He wants you to give it." smiled the Admiral.

"Me Sir?" asked Harm a little surprised. "I thought the SecNav didn't like me."

"That's not entirely true Commander, he just doesn't like some of the stunts you pull, like shooting the ceiling out in the courtroom.

He recognizes the many accomplishments you have made while serving in the Navy starting with going from a top gun in a tomcat to one of the best lawyers in Jag.

You are also the Navy's poster boy and the press already recognizes you. He also knows you know the Colonel better then anybody else. You will be able fill them in on the Colonel's accomplishments and be able to answer any questions they may have." replied the Admiral.

"Yes Sir!" grinned Harm. "She's been my partner for six years. I know her pretty well."

"She's also been nominated to receive the Meritorious Service Medal for her handling of the Embassy Evacuation. She's going to receive it next week in the White House Rose Garden. The SecNav has asked for you to present it to her. Uniform of the day will be Dress Blues." continued a very proud Admiral.

"I would be very honored Sir to present the award to the Colonel. I can't think of anyone more deserving then the Colonel to receive Meritorious Service Medal. She's a real heroine and outstanding marine Sir." smiled Harm.

1100 hours EST

Guadalcanal

Mac waited until later in the day when she knew Harm would be at Jag and in his office before giving him a call. She knew Harm would be worried about her after what he heard about the American embassy being under siege.

She wanted to alleviate his fears. She got a telecommunication device from the communication room on board ship. She went to the fan deck for privacy. It was a place she and Harm always went when they want to have a private communication.

She was very nervous. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him and how much she loved him. It had been a couple of weeks since the last time she talk to Harm. She punched in his number and waited for the telephone to ring.

"Hello, Harmon Rabb speaking. Who's calling?" he greeted her.

"Your favorite marine Flyboy." replied Mac as her anxiety built.

"Mac! It's so good to hear from you." Harm exclaimed with relief as he got up and closed the door to his office.

"I've been so worried about you. I'm very proud of what you did. I'm supposed to give a press conference at 1300 hour today."

"I've missed you so much Harm. I'm sorry to have worried you, but as you know all too well, we all have a duty to protect and serve our country and it's representatives." a tired Mac responded.

"I heard that there was gunfire at the compound. We also heard that there was a marine killed and another one was seriously injured. Are you alright Mac? You weren't hurt were you?" asked a concerned Harm.

"I'm fine Harm. The two marines were hurt when they were trying to secured the gate to the compound. Since they were the two marines in charge of security, I had to take command.

I had to be the level headed one here. The men wanted to fire into the crowd to get them to disperse, but I knew that wouldn't alleviate the situation. If anything it would have made it worse.

It would have cause an International Incident. That's not what we need at this moment with all the unrest in the Moslem world towards Americans." responded Mac.

"I'm glad Gunny was there to assist you Mac. If he wasn't I was ready to go AWOL and jump on a plane to be there with you. I knew he would watch your six and take care of you. He's a good marine." said a relieved Harm.

"Yes, he was a great help. He helped keep the embassy staff from freaking out so that they could complete their job of destroying sensitive material before we left. Then he covered my six as we got everyone aboard the heilo that was waiting to take us to safety." said a tired Mac.

"You sound like you're tired Mac." offered Harm.

"I am tired Harm, but I have some good news for you. I'll be coming home in twelve hours."

"What time do you expect to get in at Andrews." asked Harm.

"About 0300 hours the day after tomorrow." responded Mac.

"I think it's time to cut our conversation short ninja girl." replied a happy Harm.

"I love you Flyboy." declared Mac.

"I love you too marine. I'll be there to pick you up when you get in. I miss you. Good night Mac." responded Harm.

"See you when I get in Harm. I miss you too." whispered Mac.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part twelve

1300 hours

Press Conference

White House Rose Garden

The press corps gathered around the podium. There must have been several hundred reporters there. All were interested in finding out about Colonel MacKenzie and her heroic actions in Indonesia.

Harm was standing at the back of the stage waiting to begin. He was very nervous, but also very excited. He had spent the last two hours writing up the press release for the news media.

He was so proud of Mac. By the time he was done with the press conference he wanted everyone to be as proud of her as he was.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the press corps, my name is Commander Harmon Rabb. I'm here today to fill you in about the heroic actions of Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie.

Yesterday morning under threat of mass rioting Colonel MacKenzie safely evacuated twenty three members of the embassy staff and the marine guard from the American Consulate in Ache, Indonesia.

Ten thousand angry demonstrators surrounded the American Consulate protesting the release of a marine accused of raping a local woman into American custody.

As the American Consulate was about to be over run she kept her composure and delayed the crowd long enough to allow the staff to destroy all the sensitive material and evacuate the occupants from the building.

During this time the marines did not fired one shot into or above the crowd in an effort to disperse them. There were no civilian causalities as a result of any American action.

Colonel MacKenzie, because of her command decisions and actions, prevented a very serious situation from escalating into an International Incident.

In recognition of her outstanding performance Colonel MacKenzie will be receiving the Meritorious Service Medal. This is the highest service award given to honor a marine.

It is only the second time in the history of the Marine Corps that a woman will receive this award. The award will be present to Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie in the White House Rose Garden at 1300 hours 5 September 2001.

Some of you may wonder, who is this special marine who saved the lives of twenty three members of the American Consulate? Why haven't we heard of her before. Colonel MacKenzie is a member of Judge Advocate General Headquarters stationed here in Washington DC.

She has been TAD to the carrier, Guadalcanal in the Indian Ocean for the last three months. I've had honored and privilege to be her partner here at JAG Headquarters for the last six years.

Our official duties here at JAG include investigating general misconduct and mishaps in the navy and marines along with prosecuting and/or defending those accused in court.

Now many of you may wonder about what Colonel MacKenzie did the last couple of days. Is this a normal occurrence for a JAG lawyer. The general answer is no.

But the heroic actions Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie exhibited weren't during normal daily activities. Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie is a highly trained marine officer capable of handling anything that comes her way.

In 1996 she was instrumental in the safe return of the Declaration of Independence which was stolen to protest Government malfeasants.

In 1997 she was instrumental in bringing down and the capture of one of the biggest drug lords in Columbia.

Later the same year she assisted in the safe recovery of a child kidnapped by the Irish Republican Army. The child belonged to an American Naval Officer.

In 1998 she assisted in the rescued of a down navy aviator in Iran and the safe return of the stealth bomber he was flying.

In 1999 in Panama she again was involve with taking down a major player in the war against drugs.

In 2000 while investigating the murder of a Naval officer by the Russia mafia, she was instrumental in saving the life of the Russian President Putin while he was visiting his troops in Chechnya.

This past winter while investigating the feasibility of women serving aboard naval submarines she was instrumental in saving the lives of a Russian Submarine crew that I happened to be a guest on.

The Russian submarine had fired a new torpedo that malfunction and had turned back onto the Russian submarine. She convinced the Captain of the American submarine to fire a torpedo to destroy the Russian torpedo before it destroyed the Russian sub. Needless to say it work because I'm here to tell you the story.

I'm very proud as you can see to be partnered with this amazing woman and marine. As you all can see her actions are not unusual for her. It's what she's been trained to do. She's a heroine of the highest order.

I'm proud to know her. I hope all of you are proud of her too. I will now open up the floor for any questions.

"Question Sir, you are her partner?"

"Yes."

"Question Sir, Have you been with her on these missions and investigations?"

"Yes."

"Question Sir, which ones?"

"Yes."

"Question Sir, I hear that she isn't your ordinary marine. That she actually is very beautiful?"

"Yes, that's true. You may have seen her on Court TV last year. She was the one wearing the blue bikini." grinned Harm.

He had seen her in that blue bikini in person. The picture didn't do her enough justice. There was a major stir in the crowd as they all realized who she was now. She definitely was no ordinary marine. She was maybe a beauty queen or cover girl, but she was not a ordinary marine.

"We anticipate that after next week's presentation of the Meritorious Service Medal to her that as many as ten thousand young men will join the marines the next day and fifty thousand within a week after." smiled Harm. What suckers. I have them eating out of my hand now.

"Question Sir, Are you kidding us Commander."

"No Ma'am."

"Question Sir, Can you tell us anything more personal about her?"

"She is a very beautiful and intelligent young lady. She's an excellent attorney, maybe the best in the marines. She fluent in many European and Middle Eastern languages.

She was the youngest woman to be promote to major and lieutenant colonel in the history of the marine corps. She's on the fast track to be the youngest female general in the marine corps." replied Harm.

"Question Sir, When will that be?"

"Within the next ten years." replied Harm.

"Question Sir, Is she the best lawyer in Jag?"

"She's one of the best without a doubt. Off hand I can think of only one person that is better." smiled Harm.

"Question Sir, Who might that be?"

"It could be me, but we aren't here to talk about me. The Lieutenant Colonel is very, very good. She was the Admiral's chief of staff before she went TAD. A position I'm sure she'll resume when she returns.

She's the finest officer I know. Some day she'll either be the JAG or Staff General of the Marines. She's one of the finest officers in the military, not just the marines." responded Harm.

"Question Sir, Is she married?"

"No she's not, though she has been married before." replied Harm.

"Question Sir, It's been rumored that she was going to be married this spring, but called off the wedding after your crashed. Is that true?"

"Yes, she was engaged to get married this spring, but she called off the wedding because she realized that she didn't love the man she was going to marry enough. There were too many cultural problems in the end.

I don't believe my crash played a part in her decision. It was a mutual decision between her and the man that she was going to marry." replied Harm carefully. He wondered where they had heard about that story.

"And with that answer the Questions and Answers session is now over. A reminder, a week from today at 1300 hours the Meritorious Service Medal presentation will be made to Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie." smiled Harm

"I hope you all will be there. You'll be witnessing history in the making."

"Will you be presenting the award Commander?" asked a newsman.

"I guess you'll have to show up and find out." replied Harm as he gave them one of his best Flyboy grin.


	13. Chapter 13

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part thirteen

0300 hours

Friday

31 Aug 2001

Andrews

Harm had left early to pick Mac up. He couldn't sleep with the anticipation of her returning tonight. He had gone over to her place earlier in the day to pick up a change of clothes for her and her corvette.

He knew she enjoyed driving her corvette as much as he used to enjoy driving his. It empowered her, it gave her strength and self worth. It also would help her reacquaint herself with being back in the states.

It was something that would remind her that she was home. He arrived at Andrews an hour early. He didn't want to miss her if her plane happened to arrived early. He thought over about what had happen the last week.

He was so proud of his marine. He always knew she was made of the right stuff. He missed her so much. She had been gone almost ninety days. He was very proud of her accomplishments.

She had safely evacuated the entire consulate staff of twenty three people when the compound was over run. She was going to receive the Meritorious Service Medal. It was one of the highest honors given to a marine. Very seldom if ever was it given to a female marine.

He was standing there smiling. In another twenty minutes she would be arriving. It would be so good to see her again. He was so excited he couldn't sleep.

What he hadn't realized on his way to Andrews was, he had been followed by a small van with a film crew in it. After the press conference the film crew had realized that Harm must be pretty close to the Colonel.

They figured if they kept an eye on Harm, sooner or later he would lead them to Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. They would be able to get an exclusive of her returning to the United States.

Maybe they might even see Harm greeting the Colonel with more then just a friendly handshake. They stayed back a few hundred feet away, patiently and quietly waited.

They didn't have long to wait before they had their story. When they saw the plane land and taxi up to the hangar, they got out of the van and got everything set up. Then with amazement they watched the person of interest disembarked from the plane.

She had changed into her dress greens for the long flight home. Even in her marine dress uniform they could see that Mac was a very beautiful woman. How could she possibly be a marine?

They heard Harm call out her name. She began to move quickly to Harm as he did the same. What they saw next, they knew would be front-page news in all the newspapers across the country and lead story on all the news telecasts.

Mac went into Harm's outstretched arms like so many other times before when they had been separated for any length of time. They hugged for a couple minutes before Mac stepped back.

Then Harm leaned down and took her lips with his and they kissed long and passionately. To them it was a kiss they knew would bond them together forever, but to the film crew it wasn't too long. It was perfect. They packed up their gear and hurried back to their studio.

When Harm and Mac broke apart Harm bent over and retrieved her duffle bag, which had been left at their feet by Gunny before he walked over to the hangar. Harm then took her arm in his and they walked over to her corvette. Mac was happy to see her car. She knew she had to be home.

"I brought a change of clothes for you. I thought you might want to change into something more comfortable before I took you out for breakfast." smiled Harm.

"Thank you Flyboy. I would like a shower and change of clothes. It's been a long flight home from Indonesia. I feel like I've just finished running a marathon." Mac responded with a tired smile.

"Why don't you go inside and shower. Then you can change into some normal clothes while I have a word with Gunny." replied a happy Harm.

"Okay Harm. See you in fifteen." Mac went off to ladies lounge while Harm found Gunny.

He shook Gunny's hand. "Thank you Gunny for taking such good care of Mac for me."

"No problem Sir. She's a very special marine." replied a very tired Gunny.

"Tiner was here yesterday afternoon. He left keys for a Government Issue car at the hangar desk for you. There's a change of clothes if you want to shower and change. I think he misses you. You were a good buffer between him and the Admiral." laughed Harm.

"Yes Sir. He's not a bad guy for a squid." smiled Gunny.

"The Admiral said for you to take a few days off. Report in Monday morning Gunny."

"Thank you Sir. I really appreciate that. I need to catch up on my sleep. It was hell the last few days." said Gunny.

"Well it's good to have you back Gunny." smiled Harm as he shook Gunny's hand again.

True to her word Mac was back in fifteen minutes. She was looking positively radiant.

"Where are you taking me for breakfast Flyboy?" Mac smiled coyly.

"How about the International House of Pancakes. I heard they serve dead cow with their breakfast meals among other things. You look so beautiful Sarah. I've missed you so much." said Harm as he took her into his arms and kissed her again.

"Thank you Harm. I've missed you too. Hey, you don't look too bad yourself. Let's go I'm starving." laughed Mac.

"That's my marine, always hungry." Harm replied with one of his killer Flyboy smiles.

A half-hour later they arrived at IHOP and had a wonderful meal of pancakes and poached eggs on toast. Mac added a small steak with hers.

The waitress left a pot of coffee at the table.

Harm told Mac about everything that was happening at the office. Mac asked how the new guy was doing. Harm smiled at this. He told her that the guy was in the Academy at the same time as he was.

They were company mates. They had been friends for a long time and that he was a bubblehead. Mac groaned when she heard this. To her nothing good ever came from being on a submarine.

They were small and cramp. There was no privacy. Why anyone would want to serve on one was beyond her comprehension? Harm and Mac sat there for a while longer holding hands while every once in a while sharing a kiss.

They were so caught up in each other that they didn't realize a local news station was filming them while they ate.

When they got back to Mac's place Harm started a fire in the fireplace. Mac had gone into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on and was surprised to see her fridge and freezer were well stocked. She came out of the kitchen and smiled at Harm as he started the fire.

"Did you do all this for me?" asked Mac.

"No, but I wanted to. When Harriet heard that you were coming back today she wanted to do something for you. So I asked her to stock your frig. She was so happy to hear that you were coming home.

So yesterday she and Carolyn came over and cleaned up the place and stocked the fridge." replied Harm with a smile while he put on some soft easy listening music.

"Come over here and sit down on the couch with me Sarah."

"That was very nice of them Harm. I'll have to thank them." said Mac.

"It'll have to wait until Monday. The Admiral has given us the rest of the week off." responded a very happy Harm.

"How did you managed that Flyboy?" giggled Mac.

"He knew I would be totally useless today now that you're back, so he told me to stay home and help you get settle." smiled Harm.

"I'll have to thank him too." said a sleepy Mac.

0430 hours

Meanwhile the SecNav was very angry. As usual he was an early riser. He like to watch the early news on ZNN to see what he miss while he was sleeping so he would be prepared for the up coming day.

What he saw burned his a hole in his six. He thought he was coming down with a case of hemorrhoids. There he was again creating news again, Commander Rabb hugging and kissing Colonel MacKenzie as she returned to the states.

And if that wasn't bad enough he saw a later news piece of them dining out in a small restaurant together holding hands and kissing. He was immediately on the telephone to the Admiral.

Why couldn't Rabb ever keep a low profile for once? Why couldn't he stay out of the news for a change? Why did he always have to draw attention to himself?

The Admiral was in bed sleeping when he heard his telephone ringing and looked at the clock. Who the hell was calling him this early in the morning he said to himself? Can't a guy sleep in one morning a week. He picked up the phone to a screaming SecNav.

"They have done it again AJ. They're in the news again. Why can't you control them AJ?" scream the SecNav.

"Who Sir?" asked a tired Admiral even though he had a pretty good idea who the SecNav was talking about.

"What do you mean WHO! You know WHO! Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie, that's WHO!" said the SecNav still screaming.

"What have they done now Sir?" sighed the Admiral as he smiled. It really must be a real doozie if they have the SecNav this upset so early in the morning he thought.

"Turn on your TV to ZNN, you'll see. I want to see you in my office in one hour AJ!" scream SecNav.

The Admiral hung up the phone and slowly walked into the den to turn on the TV to ZNN. He then walked into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. He knew this was going to be a very long and difficult day.

When he walked back into the den he saw what the SecNav was screaming about. He saw Harm greeting Mac as she returned from Indonesia. He was giving her a hug and a passionate kiss.

He smiled as he realized that they must have some how worked out the problems that they had had over the last year. They must have finally taken their relationship to the next level.

He was happy for them. He knew that this day was long in coming. He also knew that SecNav would see it too. He would stomp and rant for a while, but he also knew that SecNav and he had talked about this day coming a long time ago.

Well that day was finally here. He smiled and went back to his bedroom to shower. Before the Admiral left for his meeting with the SecNav he called Mac on the phone. He figured Harm would have taken her home and might still be there. He needed to talk to Harm.

Mac was sleeping soundly in Harm's arms in front of the fire. At the sound of the telephone ringing she stirred from her sleep.

"Let me get the telephone Mac." said Harm.

He answered the telephone and carried on a conversation for a few minutes before hanging up. He walked back over to Mac who had her eyes close, but was only half asleep waiting for Harm's arms to hold her again. He had her turn on the TV.

"Who was that Harm?" asked Mac sleepily.

"It was the Admiral. He wanted to know how you were doing. He wanted us to turn on the TV to ZNN. There's something quite interesting on the news this morning that we should see." replied Harm as he took her into his arms again.

"I guess the SecNav isn't very happy about something I did." smiled Harm.

"Has he ever been happy with anything you've done?" asked Mac. They turned the channel to ZNN and were surprised to see themselves on ZNN.

"I can imagine what he thought when he saw that." said Mac tiredly. "Oh no! What do you think SecNav will say about it Harm."

"I can imagine. He has already screamed at the Admiral this morning. The Admiral has a meeting with him in a few minutes." replied Harm.

"What do you think they will do Harm?" asked a worried and shaken Mac.

"I think the SecNav will rant and rave for a while about us, but the Admiral will calm him down. I don't think they will do anything right now. You're a heroine Mac.

They are going to award you one of the highest military medal they can give to a marine, ... the Meritorious Service Medal. He'll let it slide. In the long run it will be more good press for the military and Jag." smiled Harm.

"How do you know all that Harm?" asked Mac.

"The Admiral told me about it the other day before he had me give a press conference." smiled Harm as he gave her a kiss.

"I'm going to receive the Meritorious Service Medal. Do you know what a honor that is Harm? Only one other woman has ever receive that medal." responded Mac.

"You gave a press conference Harm? What was it about?"

"It was about you, Sarah. What you did over there was unbelievable. I don't think anyone could have done such an outstanding job as you did." replied Harm.

"But Harm, all I did was my duty." said a perplexed Mac.

"No Mac. What you did was to save the lives of all the civilians of the consulate staff. You got them all out safely without any of them getting hurt and without resorting to killing any of the local population.

I don't know anyone else who could have done that. Just about anyone else would have tried to disperse the crowd. That would have led to a lot people getting hurt. You kept yourself under control and made the right decisions.

I'm so proud of you Ninja girl. You are one amazing marine. You deserve the honor they are bestowing on you." replied Harm as he took her into his arms.

"Thank you Harm. You don't know how good it is to hear you say those things. I love you Harm." Mac said as tears began to flow down her cheeks.

"I love you too Sarah." as Harm hugged her tighter.

"Next week when we go back to the office I'll have to show you the tape of the press conference about you." smiled Harm.

"Was it good?" asked Mac.

"Only the best for my little marine." grinned Harm as he lean over to give her another kiss. They fell asleep again on the couch in front of the fire.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part fourteen

1300 hours

5 Sept

White House Rose Garden

Mac had returned to work that morning. Everyone in the office had come up to her and welcome her back. They congratulated her for her heroic action.

She spent the rest of the morning reading her e-mail and paperwork with changes to the way they went about doing their business. Harm came by at 1100 hours for an early lunch. They had to get back in time for Mac to change into her dress blues and Harm into his dress whites and gold wings.

At 1230 hours the Jag staff went along with Harm and Mac to the White House Rose Garden. They were there to show her their support while she received the highest award given to a marine, the Meritorious Service Medal.

With a crowd of five hundred journalist and twelve hundred sailors and marine watching. The President pinned the Meritorious Service Medal on Mac's uniform. He talked to her for a few minutes thanking her for doing such an outstanding job.

Mac smiled as she accepted the laurels from the President. Before he left the President had a few words for all those who had gathered for this historic occasion.

"I want to thank you all for coming today. Today we honor the outstanding courage and valor of a very special marine. She upheld the values of this great nation with her actions in saving so many lives.

She kept her composure and utilized her training to facilitate the best possible outcome. She's a credit to her uniform.

She handled the destruction of sensitive material and evacuation of the consulate staff without any of the local population being killed. We should all be very proud of her. Good afternoon."

There was a reception after the award ceremony. Mac was with Harm and the Admiral. They were talking about the award and how happy they all were that she was back at Jag Headquarters.

While they were there Mac talked to almost every important Admiral and General stationed at the pentagon. The Admiral introduced Mac to all of them. They all told her they were very proud of her accomplishment at the consulate in Indonesia.

Every one of them told Mac that the job she did was outstanding. That only a few people could have accomplished what she had. The Admiral and Harm stood back and let Mac absorb all the attention and compliments by herself.

When the reception was over Mac went over to Harm.

"I can't believe it Harm. I didn't think I did anything special. I thought all I did was my job." Mac spoke. She was glowing. "But having the President of the United States and all the military brass give me all those accolades. I have to rethink what I did."

"What you did was special Mac. Don't you ever forget it. Come on I think it's time to go home." responded Harm with a smile.

Fall 2001

Over the next several months Harm and Mac spent a lot of their free time together. They needed to be together after being apart for three months. Their relationship was on a new level now.

They knew each other's history. They knew what each other thought and cared about. Now it was time to get to know each other as only a man and woman could. There was no need to hide their feelings. It was a time for physical intimacy.

Every other weekend they would spend their time away on field trips. They would go out to the airfield where Harm's Stearman was. They would fly for a few hours enjoying the countryside.

Some days they would do a lot of rolls, loop de loops and dives. Mac was becoming a pretty good pilot. Harm had let her take off and land the bi-plane a few times. They were very happy.

They would set the plane down in mountain meadows for picnics by mountain streams. Hike a few of the trails and some days and just talk. Then they would fly to an airfield near a Bed and Breakfast to spend the night. Mac had never been happier.

One night she leaned back in a chair before a fire in the fireplace. As she gazed into the fire she began to reflect on her life the last couple of years. Her career was taking off and she was in love with the most amazing man she had ever known.

Even though Mic had dote on her early in their relationship, he changed over time after he gave up his job instead of defending the doctor responsible for baby Sarah's death.

He had become moody and non-communicative. He didn't treat her as an equal. She realized now that to Mic she was a trophy to be won. Especially if he could win her love from Harm.

In the end she knew that Mic's love, while it was amazing, it wasn't sincere. She also realized now in reflection that once Mic loss his job, he loss control of his life.

He began to dominate her life. He felt the need to occupy all her free time. She had loss all the personal freedoms she had work so hard to have. She couldn't do what she wanted when she wanted.

It was if she always had to check in with Mic and get his permission if she wanted to see Harriet and little Aj, work late, or even go to the gym to work out. It seemed like she was losing all of her friends.

Mic had become very needy. He would complain about her going away on investigations. He would always ask her why someone else couldn't go on the investigations, especially when they involved going away with Harm. He thought that she should be there to comfort him.

In a letter Mic wrote to her before he left, Mic had expressed to her that if they had gotten married he would have tried to convince her to move to Aussie land. He couldn't find a job in the city of lawyers.

Jag dominated too much of her life. And Harm was too big a part of her life that he wasn't able to complete with. Harm would always be between them somehow if they stay in Washington.

He figured the only way they could truly be happy together would be if they were as far away from Jag and Harm as possible. She would soon forget about Harm and then she could be happy with him.

But after the crash he realized that she didn't love him enough to leave Jag and her friends. Harm was the person she really loved and was meant to be with. And that no matter where they were in the world, she would always be thinking of Harm.

But the biggest thing that bothered Mac as she thought back to last year was Mic inability or un wiliness to listen to her. He thought that if he gave her the moon and grandeur that the world had to offer then she would be happy.

But that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted a simple wedding with just family and friends. Mic wanted it to be a major production, very grandiose.

She had known Mic wasn't happy about not finding a job, she knew Mic had been ready to go back to Aussie land before she moved the ring over to her left hand, but she wasn't ready for leaving Jag and her friends.

She needed to be here at Jag and with her friends and Harm. Harm had been the constant in her life the last five years. He had kept her strong. He believed in her. He supported her. He had always been there for her when she needed him.

She couldn't give that up even though she knew she should. If she was to marry Mic she knew she would have to learn to rely on him, but at the present time she wasn't ready to. She needed Harm too much.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part fifteen

Thursday

23 November 2001

Thanksgiving at the Farm

Harm wanted to have a very special Thanksgiving this year. He wanted all of his and Mac's family to be together. Harm wanted to introduce Mac to his grandmother.

He had told her so much about Mac and how he felt about her. He thought it was the right time for them to meet. He asked Mac if she would like to have Thanksgiving at his grandmother's farm this year.

Mac was excited about the prospects of meeting Harm's grandmother. She knew how important his grandmother was to Harm and she wanted to meet her. She reminded Harm since they were going to visit his grandmother it might be a good idea to call his mother to see if she wanted to be there too.

Since autumn had been very mild this year Harm decide that they would fly up to his grandmother's farm in his bi-plane. They had called her at the beginning of the month about spending the holiday with her. She was happy to have them. Trish and Frank also agreed to come to the farm to spend the holiday.

It had been six months since Trish had seen her son. She had flown to DC after the crash. At that time she was worried about Harm and his injuries. But she knew Mac was there to take care of him.

She always missed Harm because she didn't get to see him very often. she was on the west coast with her art gallery and Harm was on the east coast at Jag.

Chloe and her grandparents were there at the farm too. Since Harm and Mac were getting closer they wanted their extended families to be with them. They wanted everyone to get to know each other.

Harm and Mac both loved Chloe and they knew Chloe missed seeing Mac everyday as much as Mac missed seeing her. Chloe's grandparents also wanted to get to know Mac better along with the living legend, Harm.

Chloe had told them so much about Harm that they couldn't believe he was a real person. They were in for a pleasant surprise for once to see Chloe hadn't embellish the facts.

Harm was everything she said he was, a very tall and good looking man who was hopelessly in love with her big sister Mac. She had also told them that Harm and Mac were a dream couple, stuff that fairly tales were made of.

Grandma Sarah was very pleased to finally meet Mac. Harm had been telling her how wonderful Mac was for six years. Now she was finally able to see for herself.

What she saw was the most amazing woman she had ever met. Tall, beautiful, intelligent, charming, and very much in love with Harm. She had never seen Harm look so happy in his life.

She spent the long weekend getting to know her. She came away wondering why Harm had taken so long to tell Mac that he loved her. She was very special.

Harm and Mac spent one afternoon riding with Chloe. Harm took them around the farm and up into the hills where they found a stream to have a picnic by.

Chloe told Harm and Mac that this had been the best holiday she ever had. She even talked to them about being a flower girl before she got too old. She asked them when they were going to get married.

Mac told her it was too soon. That she shouldn't worry about being a flower girl. That when the time came she would be her maid of honor. This made Chloe very happy. It was all she could talk about on her way home Saturday afternoon. Harm and Mac flew back home Sunday morning.

As everyone sat around the dinner table on Thanksgiving getting ready to eat a marvelous meal prepared by all the women in the house, Harm stood up to speak.

"I'm so happy to have everyone here today. You all are very special people in in Sarah and my life. I would like to go around the table and have everyone tell us what they're thankful for starting with Miss Chloe." smiled Harm with a tear in his eye.

"I'm thankful to Sarah for finding my real father and grandparents for me. They have been so wonderful and loving. I'm also grateful that Sarah has let me keep Jingo with me on the farm.

He loves running along side with me as I ride Scout. I also would like to thank Harm for making Sarah so happy. She has been in love with Harm for a long time. She has waited so long for Harm to tell her he loves her as much as she loves him." said a very elated Chloe.

Chloe's grandparents were grateful to have Chloe in their life living with them even though at times she could be quite a handful. They also thank Mac for bringing Chloe into their life to love.

It also meant that they saw their son more often now that he had a daughter who he loved. Chloe would keep them young for a long time.

Trish, Frank, and Grandma Sarah thank Mac for helping to save Harm when he had been lost in the ocean. They thank her for being such an important person in his life for the past six years and for taking good care of him. They also thanked her for making Harm very happy and that they were together.

When they got to Mac she has tears in her eyes. She was part of a big extended family who she loved beyond words and was love by all of them in return. They had all thanked her for making their lives so much better.

She had never understood what an impact she had made on so many lives. When she stood up she thanked everyone for his or her kind words. They meant more to her than any promotion or award that the marines ever gave her.

"Thank you everyone for all the kind words. You all are very important to me for so many different reasons and I'm very grateful to know all of you.

Chloe, you mean the world to me. You have allowed me to open up my heart and love again. Because of you I'm able to be with the man I love more then life itself.

Because of the love you gave me in return I knew what it was like to be loved by someone and be able to recognize what true love is and what is purely infatuation.

Finally I'm thankful to being here with Harm. Six months ago was the worse time in my life, our lives. Harm's plane crashed and we were all afraid he might die. I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life marrying another man.

But that night woke me up to what was truly important. Now I'm with the man I love and thankful that we can all be here together to spend the holidays with him." Mac spoke tenderly.

Harm was speechless. He was stunned listening to all the beautiful words everyone had spoken, especially Mac. He was near tears. It took him a little while before he could stand up and allowed his emotions to settle before speaking.

"I want to thank everyone for being here. You all are very important people in my life. As Sarah mentioned, six months ago I thought I was going to die, I was lost in the ocean before I could tell the most amazing woman I know, that I loved her.

I was so afraid I wouldn't get the chance to see any of you again. I've thanked God every day for this second chance for life and opportunity. Thank you everyone."

Christmas at Jag

A month later Chloe was allowed to visit Mac for Christmas. She arrived a couple days before so she could get caught up with Mac. She still had one or two gifts to get, but she mainly wanted to find out if Harm and Mac had decided when they were going to get married.

"So Sarah have you and Harm delicious decided yet when you're getting married?" asked Chloe with a smile.

"Chloe! We're not ready for anything like that yet. We're still getting back to where we were before Harm left to fly. We're in a good place right now. We're quite happy. We only want to enjoy each other's company presently.

We need time to get to know each other on a whole new level before we let it get really complicated." replied Mac trying to get Chloe to understand that relationships take time.

"So are you sleeping with him? smirked Chloe. Boy did she like to make Mac squirm.

"Chloe! I thought you had out grown the knack of speaking before thinking." replied a shocked Mac.

"Mac, I'm a freshman in high school. This is what we think about all the time. I'm not a little girl anymore." responded Chloe.

"I know you're not sweetie. You are growing up so fast and I miss you so much. I sometimes forget you're not the little girl I used to know." replied Mac sadly.

"So when will you be ready to marry Harm?" asked Chloe not willing to give up on the issue.

"It wasn't that long ago I was ready to marry Mic. Now, I may not have loved him as much as I love Harm, but I did love him. While I was TAD, I had to come to terms to why I waited until the night before the wedding and Harm's crash to call off the wedding.

Harm and I had grown apart the last two years. Even though I still loved him, we didn't know each other very well any more. We had to take the time to get back to where we were, before we could move on to where we are today. This all takes time Chloe." replied Mac.

"How did you and Harm grow apart? I thought you two still worked together." asked Chloe, not fully understanding.

"Harm and I can be very stubborn people. We don't like to admit when we're wrong and have made a mistake. I didn't like the Video Princess and he didn't like Mic. So outside of work we didn't socialize anymore.

We didn't spend much time together. We didn't talk like we use to. Differences between us never got resolved, they were allowed to fester. It led to resentment between us. Besides Mic and Rene also were very needy and possessive individuals. They took up a lot of our free time and they were very jealous." replied Mac.

"So what made you change your mind?" asked Chloe.

"Well, at the engagement party Harm and I had a serious talk. We talked about old times and what happened between the two of us. He implied he was in love with me and then he kissed me long and passionately." replied Mac.

"You never told me that before!" exclaimed Chloe.

"Wow! But then why did you still go ahead with the wedding to Mic?" asked a confused Chloe.

"Because I was ready to settle down and get married. I wanted to start a family. Mic was ready to give that to me. Harm on the other hand I couldn't tell if he was ready or not to get married.

Even though he implied he might be in love with me, he wouldn't say it. He wouldn't tell me not to marry Mic. He didn't give me any other alternatives even though he said I made my choice. As they say, it was too little too late." replied Mac.

"Then why did you change your mind after the crash? asked Chloe still confused.

"Love is a very complicated emotion Chloe. You can love so many people for so many different reasons, in so many different ways, but when you're truly in love with someone it changes everything about you.

When Harm crash and was lost at sea, I thought I was going to die inside. I didn't know if I could go on living. The pain was so great. I knew then, I could marry Mic." responded Mac quietly.

The next several days Mac and Chloe spent all their time together having fun and getting Mac's apartment in Christmas shape. They bought a tree and ornaments. They decorated the windows and doorframes.

Everything was looking perfect when Harm finally showed up. When Chloe open the door and saw Harm standing there she was so happy. She gave him a big hug. She loved Harm. He never treated her like a little girl.

"It's nice to see you too Chloe. How are you doing?" asked Harm. Even though she was growing up fast, she still wasn't much taller than his waist. So when she hugged him, his family jewels were threatened.

Chloe proceeded to tell Harm everything that had happen to her in the last month, about going shopping with Mac, and decorating the tree and the apartment for Christmas.

Then she asked him "When are you and Mac going to get married?"

Mac blushed when she heard her and yelled "Chloe! Harm just arrived, let him sit down and relax for a few minutes."

"It's okay Sarah, it's part of her unique and special charm. She's always direct and to the point. Something I think we both could have learned from her a long time ago." smiled Harm.

"And to answer your question Chloe, it's something Sarah and I planned on talking about in the spring, okay Chloe?"

Mac took a deep breath and shuddered when she heard Harm tell Chloe that they would discuss getting married in the spring. She had been waiting a long time to hear him talk about this.

She knew they were getting closer and were in love with each other, but she didn't want to push Harm. She didn't know if Harm was ready to talk about getting married. Maybe it wouldn't be long before all her dreams started to come true.

"You promise me that I will be the first one to know when the wedding is going to be? asked Chloe.

"Yes sweetie, you'll be the first one to know after Sarah does." smiled Harm as Chloe gave him another big hug.

The next day was Christmas Eve and everybody went to the Roberts for the annual Jag Christmas party. Everyone brought something to help out with the food preparation. There was plenty of food and drink to go around.

Everybody was enjoying themselves. When Harm and Mac arrived they stood in the middle of the room to do a security check for mistletoe. They knew Harriet would put many of them in places to get a lot of action.

The likely candidates for her mischief were Harm and Mac. They knew Harriet and the others would get great pleasure in seeing them kiss. And as much as Harm and Mac enjoyed kissing, they didn't want to be performing in front of others.

As the night was winding down it was time for everyone to leave for the church service. Harriet was disappointed that her little plan hadn't worked. She thought she had set the mistletoe up in enough places that sooner or later Harm and Mac would have to share a kiss.

Instead Harm and Mac found a couple of seats in the living room to make themselves comfortable and settled in for most of the night. Harriet even tempted Mac with visiting baby Aj in his room to get her to move.

But Mac had told her another time. Tonight she was interested in adult company. Sturgis even made an effort to get them under the mistletoe. He had help Harm fixed up his corvette.

He had wanted to talk to Harm in private hoping that he could somehow set Harm and Mac up for the kiss. But Harm wasn't interested in talking about his corvette. He was only interested in spending time with Mac.

Harm and Mac were the last ones to leave the apartment. They paused underneath the mistletoe to share a kiss, fortunately everyone else was gone. No one got to see them kiss.

They all went to the midnight service at the Bethesda Naval Chapel. Retired Chaplin Turner gave the service. After the service Harm and Mac took Chloe to the wall with them.

Chloe had never been there and was quite impress with the wall. Harm wanted to introduce Mac to his father and tell him they were seeing each other. After Harm had finish talking to his father, Mac spoke a few words about how much she love his son.

As they were getting ready to leave and go back to Mac's apartment Webb showed up. He told Harm he had a package for Harm. It turned out to be Sergei, his little Russian brother.

They all went back to Mac's place for some eggnog and cookies. Everyone was given a present to open by Mac. Sergei was surprised to receive one from her. It told him a lot about this special woman that his brother loved.

She gave Harm a book on Stearman's and other pre WWII planes from Chloe. Chloe was next. She received a locket from Harm and Mac. Inside there were two pictures. One was of Chloe and her father. The other picture was of Harm and Mac.

On the back of the locket there was an engraving that read,

"You will always be loved."

Tears started flowing from Chloe's eyes as she gave Harm and Mac a hug.

Mac got a wedding planner from Chloe. Chloe hoped she would be included in planning Mac's wedding. Mac shook her head in amazement. It really surprised her that Chloe had such a one track mind.

Sergei's gift was from Harm. It was a book of the genealogy of the Rabbs since 1815 when they came to the United States and settled in western Pennsylvania.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part sixteen

27 Jan 2002

Admiral's House

It was the week before the Super bowl. The Jag staff had gathered at the Admiral's house to watch Destiny's team, the New England Patriots destroy the black and gold Pittsburgh Steelers in the first game of the day.

In the second game the high flying Saint Louis Rams walked all over the rough and tumble Philadelphia Eagles. There were many debates before and during the games about who was going to win.

The only ones to pick both teams right were Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Rabb. They had to split the pool for both games. Bud was at a quandary about how the Commander and the Colonel were able to pick the right teams.

So he asked the Colonel. "How did you and the Commander pick the right teams Ma'am? I thought you both disagree on everything."

"This ought to be interesting." remarked the Admiral with a smirk on his face.

"We're partners Bud. We go over all the information and facts and then decided who we thought had the best team. We talked about what their strengths and weaknesses were. Who were the hottest teams.

They were the Patriots and the Rams. They both had won seven straight. And the other teams were highly overrated. The Eagles and Steelers both played in weak sister divisions." replied Mac smugly.

"But Ma'am, all you two did was argued about it all week. We all heard you." replied Bud.

"Bud, we do not argue. We discussed the issues that are involved. We may get a little excited at times, but we don't fight or argue anymore." replied Mac getting a little upset.

"Yeah right." Singer whispered to Harriet. "The way they go at it one would swear they were married."

"Please Loren, they give married couples a bad name." laughed Harriet.

"You shouldn't laugh Harriet. As bad as Harm and Mac are at times they still pale in comparison to some of the fights you and Bud have had." smirked Carolyn.

"It only seems worse because they fight more often and aren't aware that they are doing so."

At this time the Admiral wanted to let out a little secret he knew about.

"So Commander, have you given any thought to whom you might be taking to the Super Bowl with you. I heard that they were prime seats on the fifty-yard line."

"No Sir. I haven't asked anyone yet. I thought since everyone is here, I would allow everyone the opportunity to convince me why I should take them and not someone else. They have until end of the workday Wednesday." replied Harm smiling.

"You better not take one of the women Harm. You need to take someone that can truly appreciate the game of football." smirked Turner.

"I guess that eliminates you Sturgis. Anyone who has spent as much time under water as you have couldn't possibly understand what combat involves on land." laughed Mac.

"Don't let her sweet talk you Harm. I know you're a sucker for the fairer sex whenever they smile at you." responded Turner.

"I don't have to sweet talk Harm. All I have to do is kick his sorry six around the gym." Mac quickly responded.

"Besides I'm his partner. It's about time he took me somewhere nice instead of Iran, Bahrain, Russia, Columbia, Panama, Japan, and Ireland. It would be nice to taken somewhere where people weren't shooting at us."

"I think you have your work cut out for you Commander. She made some great arguments." laughed Harriet.

The next day Turner went into Harm's office to talk about going to the Super Bowl with Harm. "What about it buddy, take me to the game."

"Sturge, the game is in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Do you honestly think I want to be there with a bubblehead. If the Super Bowl was anywhere else, you might be my first choice, but New Orleans, no way!" replied Harm.

"So I should surmise then that you're taking the Colonel." responded Turner.

"Maybe. It all depends on how she asks and how much sucking up she does. Caitlin is supposed to be in town next week. I might ask her. Then again there's Bobbie, Captain Allison Krennick, and who knows maybe even Carolyn." smiled Harm.

"Yeah right Harm." replied Turner.

"Look Sturge. I'm looking forward to enjoying the next ten days off. As much as I like Mac, we have the tendency to fight a lot. We'll just have to wait and see what happens." smiled Harm.

Later that morning Mac met up with Harm in the break room. She needed some coffee. She had busy all morning finishing up her reports so she would be free to go away if she was asked.

She had notice Turner talking to Harm earlier in his office. She figured that he was the one to beat. Harm wouldn't take one of the enlisted. She could eliminate Bud and Harriet. They did everything together.

He wouldn't take the Admiral. As much as Harm might respected him, Harm liked spending as little time with him as possible. The best boss was one you didn't see.

No way would he take Singer, she was too annoying. That left just Turner. No sweat. She could use some of her feminine charms to persuade him.

"Have you decided yet whom you're taking to the New Orleans yet?" she cooed.

"No, not yet. I'm still opened to suggestions." replied Harm.

"You could take me Harm, I'm your partner." begged Mac.

"I could, but I think you can grovel a little better then that Mac." smiled Harm.

"You know Harmon." she began sweetly in a seductive voice.

Uh oh thought Harm, she must really want to go. She only calls me Harmon when she wants my full attention for something. I should never have taken her to see my mother before we went to Russia.

Mac must have learned all my mother's little tricks when she talked to her. And she has her sweet little innocent who me smile.

"I really want to go to New Orleans with you. You know how much I like football. You also know how much I like French cooking. New Orleans is the home of French cooking here in the States.

You know I was stationed for a short while outside of New Orleans. We could have a lot of fun exploring the city." as Mac spoke so softly that Harm had to lean forward to hear her.

"I think you can do better then that Mac. Sturgis offered me the same thing." smiled Harm.

"Did he offer you this?" as Mac reached up with one hand to pull Harm's head to her and started nibbling his ear before giving him a small kiss.

"There's a lot more of that where this came from." Mac smiled and chuckled softly.

Mac then walked out of the break room strutting her stuff as she went back to her office. Harm stood there in disbelief. He was in a state of shock. He hadn't expected her to kiss him at work.

Even though they had been spending a lot more time together. They were taking their new founded relationship slowly. They hadn't told anyone yet that they were dating. This was a pleasant surprise. He had to think up something special for lunch.

On Wednesday afternoon Harm told Mac that he was taking her. There really wasn't any doubt about whom he was going to take. He just enjoyed the additional attention he was getting from everybody at the office because of the tickets.

They flew down to New Orleans Thursday afternoon. Harm and Mac spent the next few days in New Orleans taking in the sights and eating in many of the finer restaurants that New Orleans had to offer.

The weather was beautiful. The nights were splendid. They had a wonderful time just enjoying being together. Mac was in heaven. As Sunday approached they had to decide on which team they were going to take.

Harm decided to take the Rams. They were a high flying unstoppable passing team and fourteen point favorites. Mac took the Patriots, Destiny's Team. They were a hard nose kick ass team like the marines were. They liked to punished people.

Super Bowl Sunday arrived. After Harm treated her to a wonderful breakfast. Harm took Mac on carriage ride through the French Quarter. It was an unbelievable experience. It was like they had traveled back in time to a more gentile time.

After a late lunch they went to the Superdome. It took a while to get through the checkpoint due to the increase security. They got a couple of sodas before heading down to their seats on the fifty-yard line right behind the Patriots bench.

They were high enough so they could see over the players and see the action, but close enough to see the sweat dripping off their brow and smell the scent of their manhood as the game wore on.

Harm got excited when the Rams scored on an early field goal, but Mac wasn't alarmed. She knew if the Patriots didn't give up any touchdowns, they would win.

By the time half time arrived Mac was ecstatic. The Patriots had score two touchdowns and held the Rams to none. They played a half time interview with the Rams' coach on the jumbotron.

He was asked about being down eleven points. He answered "Only an idiot thought we would blow away the Patriots. They have a very good team. We were lucky to win the first game."

When the game went into the fourth quarter with the Patriot leading by two touchdowns, Mac felt very comfortable that she was going to win the bet.

Then one of the plays of the game occurred. Kurt Warner, the quarterback for the Rams, rolled out to his right and fumbled the ball as he was hit on the Patriots one-yard line.

Tebucky Jones, a safety for the Patriots, picked up the football and returned the ball ninety nine yards for a touchdown. Mac was jumping up and down slapping Harm on his back. Harm was a bit despondent.

"Game's over stick boy." smiled Mac.

"No it's not marine, there's a flag on the play. They're bringing the ball back." responded a relieve Harm.

When the replay was shown on the scoreboard the fans all booed. A half-hour later with only 1:30 on the game clock, the game was tied. Harm was very happy now and was gloating. He knew the Patriots were going to choke and was rubbing it in.

"It looks like my Rams are going to win it now marine. They have all the Mo and the Patriots can't move the ball."

"They haven't had to stick boy. Your Rams had been so pathetic all day they didn't have to. You just keep your eyes open and on the ball Flyboy.

The cream always rises to the top. The Patriots are going to march down the field and kick a last second field goal. You can't stop Destiny's team Harm." responded a hopeful Mac.

She didn't want to see the game go to over time. If it did she feared that the Rams could indeed win.

Five minutes later after five completed passes the Patriots were on the Ram's twenty-yard line with five seconds remaining in the game. Mac turned to Harm and told him to pay up. She then gave him a kiss. Harm watched in disbelief as the kick went through the uprights.

"That was a great game Sarah. They were all winners today. They all should be proud of their performance and never say die attitude." Harm said with a smile.

"You're right Harm. It was a great game and Destiny's team won. In a year where Patriotism is the word of the day, it was appropriate that the Patriots won." replied a happy Mac.

"Come on, let's get out of here and celebrate a new year, a better year. A year where we have found ourselves together and happy. I love you Sarah." responded Harm as he leaned in and gave Mac a kiss.

"I love you too Flyboy." replied a happy Mac.

They spent a few more days in New Orleans before spending the rest of the week at Harm's mother's place in La Jolla, California. It had been a long time since Mac had been there.

The last time was when they had returned from Russia with news of Harm's father. That he had died in Russia, a free man for the last few years of his life.


	17. Chapter 17

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part seventeen

24 Feb 2002

Saudi Arabia

A few weeks later there was an incident in Saudi Arabia. A female Lieutenant was being held for violating the strict off base dress code regulation for women. She had left the base dress in conservative civilian garb.

She had gone to the plaza for lunch, but was seen by a cleric who took offense to her appearance and reported it to the base. MP's arrived shortly afterwards and arrested her.

The dress code required women to wear long dresses or skirts that exposed only their hands. They also had to wear a cover as well as a veil exposing only their eyes.

Harm and Mac were called into the Admiral's office. The Admiral explained the situation to them. He was sending them there to find out what happened and to resolve the matter quickly and without any further incident.

Harm and Mac reached the base in Saudi Arabia the next day. They met with the Lieutenant to get her version of the incident. The Lieutenant explained that she was tired of being invisible and ignored whenever she was off base.

She was an independent woman who like to do things when she wanted to, but she wasn't allowed to do so here. She couldn't do things alone. She needed to be escorted by a male.

She was proud of who she was and proud to be an officer in the Navy. She didn't want to hide that fact. Harm and Mac got her to agree to apologized to the local cleric. In return they would work to ease the restrictions in place on women when they went off base.

When they met with the cleric the Lieutenant apologized for her actions and asked for forgiveness. But the cleric wasn't satisfied to just accept her apology, he need to degrade the Lieutenant and women further in front of them and her CO. This didn't set well with Harm and Mac. Harm got in the cleric's face.

"You're on a U.S. military base Sir. While you're here you will respect the uniform of all personnel stationed here man or woman. When that person is in uniform, there is no sex or gender.

They all are representatives of the United States. When you insult any person whether male or female in uniform you have insulted the United States. This will not be tolerated. Do you understand?" asked Harm as he towered over the smaller cleric.

When the cleric started to give a rebuttal that his culture didn't recognized women as equals Harm put a stop to it immediately. He grabbed the cleric's chin in his hand and squeezed it to get the cleric's attention. Harm lifted it so he was looking eye to eye.

"I didn't ask you for a smart-ass response from you. I asked if you understood what I told you. If you or anyone else disrespects the United States or one of its personnel, you will be discipline according to our laws. Do you understand?" ask Harm again with a looked that could kill.

The cleric nodded his head in acknowledgement before Harm let him go. He quickly scuttled out the door before it became physical.

The next day Harm and Mac needed to go off base to meet with a female Colonel, the Jag representative of the base. Mac got all dolled up in the local dress with veil. She wasn't too happy to be sitting in the back seat. She liked to do the driving.

They drove for a half-hour before they arrived at the plaza where they were supposed to meet the Colonel. The Colonel was dressed like Mac in native garb. This made it very difficult to find her because every woman in the plaza was dressed the same way.

As they were walking along a few men grazed through Mac as though she wasn't there. She had managed to avoid getting knocked over because she had seen them coming. Her temper was starting to boil and her shoulder began to ache.

Unfortunately she didn't see the last one as she had her head turned talking to Harm. She took quite a blow to her chest and shoulder almost knocking her down. She became very upset now. She had had enough.

She turned around and delivered a kick to the back of the man's knee causing the man to slump to his knees as he let out a cry. Mac then delivered another precise kick to the man's kidney. The man fell to a prone position with his face on the floor.

Mac then grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it as she brought it up behind him as far as it would go. The man let out another cry of pain. Mac then drove the arm up and out while driving a knee into the man's shoulder.

Harm winced when he heard a popping sound of the man's arm coming out of the shoulder socket. It was a sickening sound. The man screamed out in agony. Everyone in the plaza looked to see what was happening.

Mac leaned over to speak into the man's ear in Arabic. She was still applying pressure to the arm. The man was in tears with the pain Mac was causing.

"Stop your screaming little man. You're crying like a little baby. You shouldn't be making so much noise for tripping over your own feet. I bet you'll be looking where you're going next time.

You never know if the next woman you bump into belongs to the US Military. They're all trained to kill little sniveling bastards like you. Next time I may have to really hurt you."

The man just laid there whimpering with his arm just laying there by his side. Mac stood up and delivered another kick to the man's kidney. She then looked around glancing at all those who had gathered around to see what was happening. She yelled out in Arabic

"I'm proud to be an American, I'm proud to be a Marine, and most importantly I'm proud to be a woman. And if any of you think you're going to walk over me, think again.

You'll end up looking like this cowering, sniveling, disgraceful excuse of a man." She turned around and walked away joining Harm.

Harm smiled at her and shook his head. "Why are you shaking your head Harm?" asked an angry Mac.

"Just when I think I've seen it all, just when I think I know how you tick, you do something to surprise me. But then again, I have known for a long time not to get you made at me." chuckled Harm as he took her into his arms and held her to help her calm down.

"Well he had it coming to him. He didn't even try to avoid me. He just walked through me as though I wasn't there. It's bad enough to wear something like this, but to be shown no recognition of being or respect, isn't right.

It pissed me off. He needed to be taught a lesson. His little pathetic world needed a waking up to the realities of the twenty first century." whispered Mac as Harm continued to hold her close. She was feeling his strength as the edge in her emotions calmed.

"You did good Ninja girl. I'm very proud of you." replied Harm as he kissed her forehead. As Mac looked up to Harm she saw the Colonel walking over to them. She smiled as she backed out of Harm's arms.

"That was quite a display Colonel MacKenzie. I hope you didn't hurt him too bad. Though once word gets around, many of the men around here may be a little more careful about knocking over women." she smiled.

Just then a cleric walked over to them. He didn't like what he had seen. He was about to go into a diatribe about a woman's place in Saudi society. Harm took him by the shoulder and pulled in aside. He grabbed the cleric's lower jaw and squeezed it until the cleric squealed out in pain.

"Don't you even think about talking to her in that manner. You will show her the proper respect due to a citizen of the United States and a member of the Marine Corp.

If you don't I let her pummeled you into the ground like she did with that other idiot who has no respect for women. Do you understand me?" declared Harm in a deep and threatening voice.

The cleric looked up at Harm who stood almost a foot taller than he did. He shuddered and nodded his understanding.

"Now I want you to apologize to these two woman and beg them for their forgiveness. And if I don't think you're being sincere enough ... well I don't think you want to know what will happen next." ordered Harm.

"Down on your knee boy." ordered Harm as pushed him down.

The cleric was shaking as he dropped to his knees and apologized to Mac and the Colonel. He then begged them for forgiveness and kissed their feet. Mac dismissed him out of hand as she just walked away. The cleric scurried away to the hoots of the women in the plaza.

Over the next couple of days Harm, Mac and the Colonel met with the Commander of the base. They talked about the changes that needed to be made.

"We are recommending a change in the off base clothing requirements for women. They will no longer be required to wear Saudi women garb. Women in our culture have earned the respect of the men they serve with.

They have earned that same respect in our culture. There is no reason for them to be treated with disrespect just because we are in Saudi Arabia. We recommend that the women wear similar clothing as the men when they go off base, long shirts and long pants with an appropriate cover." declared Harm.

When he was asked why by the Commander and why he thought his opinion was more important than the leadership of the country who signed the agreement, Harm responded in kind,

"We've had first hand experience with what women have to deal with off base. It's disrespectful and disgraceful. It's not enough that we respect their customs. They need to respect ours as well.

I'm sure once we have returned to the states and made our recommendations to the Jag, Admiral Cheggewidden, he will agree with us." replied Harm.

"Very well." agreed the Commander of the base.

That evening a C-130 cargo plane flown by the Lieutenant was returning from an airdrop in Afghanistan. It was forced to make an unscheduled landing due to some engine trouble.

They had to land outside the base and were found by some of locals, who were friendly with personnel from the base. Everything was fine until they saw the female Lieutenant.

That was when the leader of the group snarled and told the Lieutenant to cover herself. She refused to do so because she was in uniform. They were taken to a local police station instead of the base.

The base was notified of the crew's detention at the station and would be spending the night. Harm, expecting trouble, arrived at the station with a squad of marines.

He asked the Captain of the station what the problem was. Harm was told that the Lieutenant was disrespectful to a Saudi man. She wouldn't cover up and she talked back to him. She would be spending the night in jail.

Harm asked who this man was. The man step forward with a couple of his men. Harm asked them if this was true. The man told him yes. Harm asked him if the Lieutenant was in uniform. He again said yes.

Harm then told him that when the Lieutenant was in uniform she wasn't a woman but a naval personnel. When he showed disrespect for the Lieutenant while she was in uniform,

it showed contempt to the United States military who were here to provide aid and support to the Afghanistan mission and contempt towards the United States itself.

He had the marines take the men into custody. He then turned to the Captain and asked him firmly to release the Lieutenant or face similar charges himself. The Captain begrudgingly released the Lieutenant into Harm's custody.

Looking at eight marines with machine guns wasn't appealing to him. He thought it better not to antagonized Harm further. This was not a battle he was going to win. He also knew antagonizing the US military usually brought him more trouble than he wanted to deal with.

Before he left Harm addressed the Captain and warned him that the next time he or any of his men showed disrespect to the uniform of a member of the United States military he would be arrested and imprisoned in the stockade.

Harm then left and returned to base. The three men were to spend a week in the stockade to teach them a lesson about respecting the uniform, not the person in it.


	18. Chapter 18

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part eighteen

15 Mar 2002

Afghanistan

A week after Harm and Mac returned to the states and Jag, the Admiral called them into his office. He informed them of a conflict that was developing in Afghanistan between fleet command and the Jag representatives on board.

The problem seemed to be that the Jag representatives were hesitating about whether to give approval for air strikes, which may have civilians in the area. They were taking too much time to give the go on air strikes leading to missed opportunities.

The Jag representatives were requesting 100 certainty that no civilians would be killed. That was almost impossible to be determine according to the command authority. It wasn't realistic during a time when combatants hid among civilians.

The Admiral decided to send Harm and Mac to the aircraft carrier Seahawk to update all the Jag representatives and fleet command about the rules of engagement in a war zone during a time of war.

He wanted it dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible. The SecNav wasn't too happy about getting phone calls at home in the middle of the night from the President asking him what was going on.

Harm and Mac flew out to the aircraft carrier Seahawk. All the fleet commanders and Jag representatives were requested to be aboard for the briefing. Harm and Mac proceeded to give them all a briefing on the current rules of engagement in a time of war.

Harm would say a couple of sentence before Mac would continue for the next two. They continued giving the briefing like that for an hour and a half before they were done. They didn't miss a beat.

The fleet commanders and Jag representatives stood there in amazement. They couldn't believe such a presentation could be given by two people with such precision as if they were speaking as one mind.

The battle fleet commander asked if any of the Jag representatives had a problem with the new rules of engagements. A couple of them said they did, but only one thought he couldn't abide by it. He was relieved of duty and sent back to the states.

The next morning the CAG of the aircraft carrier Seahawk called Harm into his office. He asked Harm to sit down.

"I've been reading your personnel file Commander. It makes for some interesting reading." joked the CAG.

"Yes Sir!" replied Harm as he shuddered not knowing what to expect.

"I have a mission coming up to test the new rules of engagement. Are you up to flying the mission Commander?" asked the CAG.

"Yes Sir!" shouted Harm excitedly.

"Don't get too excited Commander. You'll be second in command. You will be flying the second fighter support wing. I don't want to see any heroics up there." ordered the CAG.

"Yes Sir, understood Sir." bellowed Harm.

Harm hurried out of the CAG's office. He was excited to be flying a combat mission for the first time since Kosovo. He knew he had to tell Mac, but he was worried about how she would take the news. He knew Mac had reservations every time he flew.

There was a briefing a few hours before they were to leave. Mac was going to be there since she was going to be the fleet Jag for the exercise. Harm had been assigned another woman RIO.

Harm and the Lieutenant were walking to the briefing. The Lieutenant was gabbing away, kidding Harm about what she heard about his flying. She had heard it was always an adventure when you fly with the flying Jag.

She was attempting to keep Harm loose and calm before the mission. She was so busy talking in a flirty manner when she almost walked into Mac.

Mac gave her a look that almost melted the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, Do you know the proper conduct of a junior officer in the presence of a senior officer?" asked Mac in her low marine kick ass tone.

"Yes Ma'am." replied the Lieutenant as she stumbled over the words.

"Then I suggest you cut out the levity and go about your business as a professional. The Commander doesn't need your disrespect no matter how innocently it's being given. He doesn't need to be coddled.

He has seen combat before and has two Distinguish Flying Crosses. If you keep your mouth shut and pay attention to what he's doing up there, you might learn something." continued Mac in her marine tone.

"Yes Ma'am, thank you Ma'am!" yelled out the Lieutenant before hurrying off the briefing room.

Harm was trying to hold in the laughter he felt was coming. He loved seeing his little green marine in commando mode. She was even more beautiful when she was. Her face glowed when her temper was hot.

"I see you made a new friend Flyboy." smiled Mac sarcastically.

"Mac, you didn't have to be so hard on her. She was only trying to keep the tension down before a big mission." started Harm as he turned Mac around to look at him.

"What's the matter Flyboy? Afraid your new friend won't want to play with you." snickered Mac.

"I think, that if we're going to continue this conversation, we need to go some place more private. You know you're the only playmate I need or want." replied Harm in a low sexy whisper.

Later that night after the mission Mac found Harm out on the observation deck. The night was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. You could see millions of stars overhead. There was a slight breeze that was blowing Harm's hair.

"Here you are, I was looking all over for you." smiled Mac coyly.

"This is my favorite place on a ship. It's so peaceful and quiet at night. This is where I would come and think about what I wanted in my life." replied Harm.

"I know what you mean. I used to come out here when I was on the Guadalcanal. It helped me understand why I spent so much time with Mic the previous year.

I also got to appreciate why you love being out here on an aircraft carrier. It is a nice place to get away from it all and find yourself." responded Mac quietly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you that night Sarah." wailed Harm.

"It wasn't your fault Harm. Her father died. You had to be with her. She was your girlfriend." replied Mac sadly.

"Still I should have been able to find a way to help you. You know I love you." confessed Harm.

"Yes I do. And I love you too." replied Mac as Harm gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier with the young Lieutenant. She was just so excited about flying with the living legend." started Harm before Mac interrupted.

"You mean with the crazy old man don't you." laughed Mac.

"Funny, funny little girl." replied Harm with a hurt expression on his face.

"What do mean Flyboy? Wasn't your call sign the last time you were flying, Pappy?" as Mac looked at Harm innocently and giggled.

"Do you remember everything about me ninja girl?" asked Harm with wonder.

"Only the important stuff Flyboy. Come on over here and give me a kiss. I'm getting real lonely here." wailed Mac. Harm moved over to her and took her in his arms and kissed her.

"Is that better ninja girl?" asked Harm.

"Much better." replied Mac as they kissed again.


	19. Chapter 19

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part nineteen

0830 hours

2 April 2002

Jag Headquarters

Turner went into Harm's office. He needed to talk to Harm about the Admiral. He was concerned that the Admiral was living a lonely existence away from Jag.

"What's up buddy? Something wrong?" asked Harm as he looked at Turner.

"I was picking up a pizza last night at Demarco's Italian Restaurant. While I was waiting at the counter I saw the Admiral sitting at a table eating dinner alone. I went over to talk to him for a few minute. It seems he eats dinner alone many nights." replied Turner.

"Well I'm sure he's okay. He works late a lot of nights. He's probably too tired to cook. He probably wants to relax in a nice peaceful environment." responded Harm.

"I think he's lonely Harm. I think we should fix him up with someone." commented Turner.

"He's the one who's responsible for me dating Bobbie. He told me I should get a life. He said I shouldn't focus on work twenty-four seven." continued Turner.

"I don't know Sturge. I don't think we should get involved with the Admiral's personal life. He's a very private man. He's not too keen when others get involve with his personal life." replied Harm seriously.

"I still think we should do something." deadpanned Turner.

"Well, then you should ask Bobbie about fixing him up with one of her girl friends. I'm sure she has many of them up there on the hill who would be more than happy to date a successful man of the world like him." smiled Harm. This ought to be good.

"I don't want to get her involve. You must have a few women friends Harm. You've been here for seven years." begged Turner.

"Don't involve me Sturge. This is your idea. Go ahead and ask Bobbie. I'm sure she would be more than happy to help you find someone for the Admiral. She likes him." chuckled Harm.

"Okay Harm, I'll ask Bobbie. I thought you were my friend." moped Turner.

"I am your friend, which's why I'm staying out of it." chuckled Harm.

This is so funny thought Harm. He never thought that Turner was such a busy body. He never used to be. First it was Bud and his excess weight and poor physical condition. Then it was about Mac and his relationship.

Now it was about the Admiral's lack of a life. Did the man have a death wish.

Ten minutes later Mac came into Harm's office.

"Good morning Flyboy. How are you this morning?" smiled Mac coyly.

She must want something thought Harm. When she smiles that way at me it's a sure fire sign that she wants something, something I might not like.

"Good morning Mac. I'm just fine. Last night was wonderful." smiled Harm. He hoped to throw her off track.

"Yes, last night was wonderful. I've never slept so well in my life." smiled Mac. He must be up to something. He always wants to talk about us sleeping together when he's hiding something.

"What did the bubblehead want?" asked Mac.

"He was telling me that he saw the Admiral eating dinner alone last night." replied Harm.

"And?" asked Mac as she tried to coerce more information out of him.

"He wants to find someone for the Admiral to spend some cuddling time with. I told him to talk to Bobbie about it and to leave me out of it." replied Harm. He didn't want to give Mac any ideas.

"Good thinking Harm. You know you're playing with fire if you get involved with the Admiral's personal life. He's a very private man." replied Mac seriously.

"I told him that, but he keen on helping the Admiral. He says he owes him one since he has Bobbie in his life." replied Harm.

"Well keep an eye on him, but stay out of it. That's an order." smiled Mac as she got up to leave.

"You're still taking me to lunch aren't you?" asked Mac as she gave him a stern look.

"Of course I am. Have to keep my marine happy don't I." smiled Ham.

1300 hours

Harm's office

After lunch the next day Sturgis came by Harm's office and knocked on the door before entering. He wanted to report to Harm how his mission went last night.

"What's up Sturgis?" asked Harm.

"I talked to Bobbie after work yesterday. I asked her if she had a friend that might be interested in going out to dinner with the Admiral." replied Sturgis.

"What did she say?" asked Harm.

"She told me that she had a few friends in mind, but maybe meeting for a drink after work might be better in the beginning." replied Sturgis grinning.

"Sounds good Sturge. Let me know how it turns out." replied Harm.

"Harm, I need to ask you a favor. I don't want to make it look too obvious to the Admiral. I told him during lunch that a few of us were going to McMurphy's after work for a drink.

Bobbie is going to join us there with her friend. I need you come along to make it look good. You could get Mac to come with you? The Admiral won't sense a setup that way." pleaded Sturgis.

"I don't know Sturge. This might backfire. He's not as dumb as he looks. You're going to owe me for this one buddy. You better not screw it up." replied Harm.

An hour later Mac stopped by to ask Harm what Sturgis wanted.

"Spill it Flyboy. What did the bubblehead want?" ordered Mac.

He better not be going to play basketball after work. Harm was usually dirty and smelly after he played. He usually was too tired to cook or do anything else for that matter.

"He wants us to join him for a drink after work." replied Harm slyly.

"Is this what I think it is Harm? You know you're playing with fire." smiled Mac as she shook her head.

"He pleaded with me to bring you. He wanted everyone paired off, you know, boy girl. I'll buy you dinner afterwards. Please ... " begged Harm.

"Okay Harm, but don't say I didn't warn you." replied Mac.

1700 hours

McMurphy's Tavern

Harm, Mac, Sturgis, and the Admiral were sitting at the bar talking and enjoying a drink. They were waiting on Bobbie to arrive. She was late as usual. Twenty minutes after her schedule appearance Bobbie showed up with her friend Carol.

Bobbie introduced her to everyone before going to the bar to order a couple of drinks. Carol went over to Harm and started up a conversation with him. Mac at this time felt a little left out so she went over to the Admiral and Sturgis to talk.

While the Admiral ordered another drink for the three of them she questioned Sturgis.

"What's the story here Sturgis? I thought you were fixing the Admiral up with Bobbie's friend. Why is she flirting with Harm? Just because you're a bubblehead doesn't mean you have to act like one." demanded Mac angrily to Sturgis. At that time Bobbie had joined them.

"Bobbie, I thought you were supposed to be getting someone for the Admiral. She's over there flirting with Harm instead of the Admiral. Didn't you tell her the Admiral was the person she was suppose to meet." asked a very confused Sturgis.

"I asked her to join us for drinks and meet a tall and good looking man." replied Bobbie.

"And you didn't tell her he was an older man?" replied Mac with a glare.

"No. I didn't think it was necessary." responded Bobbie a bit confused.

"Why is it you never think things through Bobbie. You might not screw up so often if you did." snapped Mac as she turned to walk away.

The Admiral was still waiting on his drinks when Mac walked up to Harm while Carol was still talking to him. She reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss.

She then asked Harm "Are you ready to go? I'm hungry. You promised to take me to dinner tonight."

Harm smile and said "Yes I am Sarah. Where would you like to eat?" as he leaned down to give her a kiss.

Carol was shocked and angry when she saw them kissing. She had thought Harm was her date. She walked over to Bobbie and told her she was leaving and stormed out.

A few minutes Harm and Mac said their good byes on the way out of the tavern leaving Sturgis alone with Bobbie and the Admiral.

"Admiral, would you like to join Bobbie and me for dinner?" asked a scared Sturgis. The Admiral felt a potential headache coming on.

"No thank you Commander. I'm pretty tired tonight. I think I go home and relax." replied the Admiral. He had seen the scene between Harm, Mac, and Carol. He had also seen Carol leaving in a huff. He knew something was amiss.

The next day the Admiral called Sturgis into his office. He proceeded to yell at him for the next fifteen minutes.

"What's wrong with you Commander? What are you the local matchmaker? You seem to want to stick your nose into everybody's relationships around here. I thought that if you dating Congresswoman Laythem, you would too busy to intrude with anyone else's lives.

I'm a two star who happens to enjoy his life the way it is. If I want to see someone I will. If I choose to eat out by myself, I will. I will not tolerate subordinates involving themselves into my private life. Have I made myself perfectly clear to you!" bellowed the Admiral.

"Yes Sir! Understood Sir!" yelled Sturgis as he felt movement from his six.


	20. Chapter 20

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

part twenty

NATO Ball

There was a spring NATO ball this year. Harm and Mac decided to go together. Sturgis and Bobbie, AJ and a lady friend, and Tom Boone and a lady friend joined them at the ball. They were all finished dinner and sitting around the table talking.

"There is no one who knows Harm better then I do." boasted Sturgis.

"I don't know about Commander." replied Tom Boone. "I think we have a few people sitting around this table who may be able to dispute that claim."

"You only knew him for four years at the academy. I've been his CO for seven years." bellowed AJ.

"I've known him all his life, but I'm willing to bet that as well as I know him there is one person who really knows him the best. Better then even I do." smiled Tom.

"Who pray tell is that Sir." asked a dismayed Sturgis.

"Come on Commander." replied AJ.

"Even a blind man knows the answer to that question." Everyone at the table laughed except Sturgis who didn't have a clue.

"Come on Sturgis even I know who he means." replied Bobbie.

"Come on every body. Why don't you all let me in on the joke." begged an upset Sturgis.

"I think they're all talking about Mac, Sturgis. She really does know me the best. Sometimes I think she knows me better then I know myself." smiled Harm at his friend. Though he was wondering how he had become the center of this conversation.

"I know you both are a lot closer than you like to let everyone know, but I still think I know Harm better." replied Sturgis.

"I believe you may believe that Commander. And you probably do know Harmon Rabb, the cadet better. You knew who he was and what drove him as a young man, but you don't know Harmon Rabb, the man. You don't know who or what drives him today." replied Mac.

"I do. I also know more then you think about his younger days. I spent a few days in the desert with Commander Jack Keeter a few years back. He told me a lot of stories about what he and Harm did while they were at the academy. The one I liked the best was called Q-Tip and his bubble." chuckled Mac.

Sturgis's face froze at the mention of Q-Tip. He hadn't thought about the name Q-Tip in a long time. He didn't think anybody remember Q-Tip anymore.

"You know about Q-Tip?" smiled Harm.

"I had forgotten all about Q-Tip." laughed Harm.

Sturgis was getting a little pale. He did not like where this conversation was going.

"Bobbie, may I have this dance?" asked Sturgis.

He did not want Bobbie to hear this story and he wanted to be as far away from the table as possible when the story was told.

"No Sturgis, I want to hear about Q-Tip." Bobbie said as she tried to ignore Sturgis. Everyone around the table was curious about Q-Tip too. They wanted to hear all about him though Bobbie was unaware that Q-Tip was Sturgis.

At first they thought Q-Tip had something to do with Harm, but with Sturgis failed attempt to lure Bobbie away from the table, they knew it had to be about Sturgis. It made sense.

"Alright!" bellowed Tom Boone as he clapped his hands together in anticipation. "Which one of you is going to tell us about Q-Tip and his Bubble. You have definitely peaked my interest."

"You don't really want to hear about it Sir." replied a nervous Sturgis. "It's really isn't that interesting. Poor kid was a sound sleeper who tied one on the night before."

"Come on now Sturgis. You know that's not true. It's a very funny story. I have a hunch though Mac will do it more justice then I ever could." chuckled Harm.

"Okay Harm, as long as you remind me of anything that I might forget." smiled Mac. Everyone leaned forward as Mac began the story. That is everyone but Sturgis who leaned back in his chair and groaned.

"There was this skinny young black cadet who went to the academy. He didn't weigh more them a hundred and thirty five pounds soaking wet. He was one of the first blacks to get admitted to the Naval Academy.

He was very proud of himself. He thought himself as the coolest and brightest of all the cadets in his company, but it didn't take long before he realized the opposite was true.

He looked around and found out that the coolest group was called the Airedales. They all wanted to be fighter jocks when they graduated from the academy.

They were the brightest and cockiest group of young cadets who would ever grace the hollowed grounds of the academy. They were all tall, dark, and good looking with great smiles. The trio of Pendry, Keeter, and Rabb led the Airedales.

Q-Tip told himself, I need to get in with this group, but how? They wanted to fly high in the sky with the sun in their faces. He wanted to go unnoticed quietly beneath the sea where everything was peaceful and quiet.

Everywhere the Airedales went, Q-Tip was sure to follow. One day Q-Tip got up his courage and asked the Airedales if he could join them at lunch. He wanted to talk to them about joining their group.

The trio looked at each other for a moment. Who was this skinny little dude that dared to come up and asked to sit with them? Didn't he know that you only sat with them if you were asked, not by asking yourself?

So Mr. Rabb here told Q-Tip he could join them for lunch, but in the future he needed to wait until he was asked. Q-Tip was very happy. He knew all it would take was spending one lunch with them and they would accept him into their group. After all he was the coolest of the cool.

So Q-Tip joined them for lunch. He gabbed and gabbed and gabbed some more. While Q-Tip was busy talking, Keeter turned to Rabb and asked him, who is this queer looking dude? Is he a man or woman. He had never heard a man talk so much in his life.

But they did find out one thing, Q-Tip wanted to be a submariner or bubblehead as it was called in the real navy. When the trio heard this they all gasped and groaned in disbelief. Q-Tip wondered what was wrong so he asked.

They told him that they were all going to be Fighter jocks or Airedales. They didn't have time to hang out with bubbleheads. So even though they thought Q-Tip was a nice guy in a silly sort of way, he couldn't hang out with them.

For the next couple of months the Airedales would go off academy grounds on the weekends to do some serious drinking and partying. Every so often they would see Q-Tip at one of the party.

Though at first they didn't recognized him. It seemed Q-Tip would pack his fro very tightly at the academy, but when he was off the academy grounds he would comb it out. It must have stood a foot above his head.

It was one of the most amusing sight they had ever seen. That's when the trio of Pendry, Keeter, and Rabb decided to come up with a plan. They split the plan into three parts.

Pendry got some white hair dye, Keeter found some very large white bunny slippers and white bunny tail, and Rabb found the largest clear plastic punch bowl he could find. It was three feet across and twenty-four inches deep.

Next they needed to find a rowboat large enough to hold a bed seventy five inches long.

The day of reckoning finally came. They had everything they needed to transform their strange nerdy looking company mate into the largest ever Q-Tip. They invited Q-Tip to go out with them to a lady friend house on a Sunday night.

Q-Tip was hesitant at first. Being a preacher boy, he knew he shouldn't be drinking on the Sabbath, but he wanted so badly to be a part of the Airedales that he allowed the trio to convinced him everything would be alright.

Since Q-Tip wasn't use to drinking it was easy for the trio to get Q-Tip to drink some Depth Charges, so named because they destroyed more than one submariner in its time.

Q-Tip was doing okay for the first two or three, but they quickly caught up to him. By the time he had downed the seventh one in less then an hour, Q-Tip was feeling mighty fine. After two more drinks he could hardly stand.

At that point the trio of Pendry, Keeter, and Rabb took Q-Tip back to the academy grounds. They stripped him down to his white boxers. They dyed his hair white, put his tail on, and put the slippers on.

Since Q-Tip was so drunk they put a life preserver on him. They put him on the bed in the rowboat. They tied his hands to the handles on the punch bowl. They took him out a quarter mile from shore and anchored the boat." smiled Mac.

At this point everyone around the table was laughing so hard at the story. They could anticipate what was going to happen next. Sturgis was groaning wishing he was anywhere but there. Tom Boone shook his head and looked at Harm.

"You and Keeter were involved with that prank. That must have been the greater prank ever pulled at the academy. Every ship in the navy heard about it within six months." laughed Tom Boone.

"Let me shake your hand Harm. You three were the best."

"Yeah that prank was better then anything I ever pulled. The ship that I was on at the time couldn't believe it when we heard about it." laughed AJ as he shook his head.

"You know about this story Sir?" asked Harm. "I didn't think anyone outside the academy knew about it."

"Are you kidding Harm? The Q-Tip stories are legendary throughout the navy." replied AJ.

"You mean there are more then one? asked a surprised Bobbie.

"Yes Bobbie. And if everyone will let me finish this one, maybe I'll have time to tell you another one before the night is out." giggled Mac as she saw the despair written all across on Sturgis's face.

"So the next morning two hundred cadets are on the beach in formation. They are getting ready for some Physical Training (PT) before going on a three mile run.

They were standing at attention as the cannon was fired signaling that the flag was being raised and a new day was beginning. The cannon going off woke Q-Tip up. He knew he was late as he began to get up.

But with the punch bowl strapped to his hands he was a bit off balance. He fell into the water with the punch bowl staying on top of the water. Q-Tip's head was now under the bowl and still dry.

Q-Tip woke up with the biggest headache of his life and found himself in the water with hands tied to a plastic bowl. He was wet, cold, and miserable as he tried to figure a way to swim towards shore.

When he got within a hundred feet of shore someone yelled out "Ah...! There's a bubblehead out in the water."

Everyone turned towards the water to see a bubble moving closer to shore towards them. They were all in a state of shock. What was going on? Then they saw it walking out of the water.

They saw at one end of a Q-Tip in a bubble and the other end on the sand. It was a sight never seen before and never would be seen again. Everyone laugh. For they had never before seen a human Q-Tip in a bubble before." finished Mac.

"What a wonderful story Mac." laughed Bobbie.

"What was the poor fellow name? Do I know him?" asked Bobbie.

Everyone laughed as Bobbie carried on oblivious as Sturgis groaned. They couldn't believe Bobbie didn't know that Sturgis was Q-Tip. They all shook their head.

"Bobbie, you don't know who Q-Tip is?" asked Tom Boone.

"Commander, I think you should explained it to her." chuckled Tom Boone.

"She's a smart woman Sir. I'm sure she'll figure it eventually." replied Sturgis.


	21. Chapter 21

Title: _**Adrift in Turmoil**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoiler: Lifelines, Adrift, season 7

Disclaimer: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Harm goes down at sea and Mac reevaluates her feelings.

Author's note: A shipper's view of how season seven should have transpired.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

Part twenty one

After the story was over everyone decided to burn off a few calories they had consume at dinner. They spent the next hour dancing.

Mac was in heaven as she moved around the dance floor with Harm. Harm was such a good dancer. They made dancing look effortlessly. She was happy to be in his strong arms. After awhile they headed back to the table with their drinks.

Everyone was there waiting for them. They neither had the stamina or desire to dance as long as Harm and Mac, but they all loved to watch the two of them dance. They look so great out there together.

When they got back Bobbie told them "You two are so amazing. You dance so beautiful together. You make it look so easy. I wish Sturgis and I could dance as well."

"That's because they're in love. All their emotions can be expressed naturally without talking." chuckled Tom Boone.

Mac was blushing now. She wanted to divert attention away from herself and Harm. So she thought it was time for another story.

"Who's up for another story, Q-Tip and the Briar Patch."

Sturgis groaned again. He had thought the last story was bad, but this one was much worse. He had nightmares about the Briar Patch for years. At least in the first story he had not done anything except drink too much. In this story he had actually chosen to accept their abuse.

"Why are you groaning Sturgis?" asked Bobbie. "I thought the last Q-Tip story was really wonderful."

Everyone shook his or her head and laugh. They couldn't believe Bobbie was that clueless, but they all wanted to hear another story. So Mac began the next story.

"The following year the Airedales decided to give Q-Tip the opportunity to join them. Q-Tip was hesitant at first. The last time he went anywhere with them, he was the laughing stock of the academy for the rest of the year.

He didn't know if he could trust the trio of Pendry, Keeter, and Rabb. But they convince him that they were sincere. They thought he had been a good sport about their prank last year and hadn't squealed on them.

They convinced him that all he had to do was go through a right of passage. It wouldn't last more then a hour. They told him it would take place at the end of the week on Friday after classes were finished.

They had Keeter borrow a truck and go to a dairy farm. He told the farmer he needed a load of manure for his garden. Pendry went into town and found a bunny suit with the biggest cottontail he had ever seen.

Rabb went into the woods to find some poison ivy. He wasn't allergic to the stuff, so he wouldn't have any difficulty handling it.

When Keeter got back from the farm with the truck of manure Harm joined him. They went out to where the obstacle course was. They laid out the manure in a few choice locations.

One was after the twelve-foot wall and the other was spread generously under the barbwire along with the poison ivy vines and roots."

Everyone around the table went "ooh!" ... and shook their head with a disgusted look on their face. They could imagine what Q-Tip was going to look and smell like afterwards. They knew it wasn't going to be pretty. And he surely wasn't going to smell nice.

They all looked over to Sturgis and said "Ah ... poor baby." Again Bobbie was clueless.

So Mac continue on with the story "Q-Tip met the trio at the obstacle course. Keeter told him to strip it down totally. Pendry handed him the baggy bunny boxer shorts with the large cottontail.

Q-Tip could barely keep them up. Rabb led him to the start of his adventure. Pendry had a film camera with him to film the event. Rabb told Q-Tip what he had to do.

All he had to do was go over the two walls through the tires and under the barbwire while keeping the cotton tail clean. When he was done he had to do fifty pushups and run back through the quad to his room. When he was done he could take a hot shower."

"You didn't have him take a hot shower afterwards did you?" asked AJ in disbelief.

"I had heard about the first part Harm, but the hot shower afterwards. That's news to me." chuckled Tom Boone.

"Why? What's so bad about taking a hot shower? I would think you would want one after crawling in the dirt and manure?" asked Bobbie.

"You forgot about the poison ivy Bobbie. When you take a hot shower your pores open up. It speeds up the spread of the poison ivy rash." replied Harm.

"If you all have had your fun, I would like to finish the story please." requested Mac patiently.

"So Q-Tip started over the wall. When he got to the top he saw what was below and winced. He almost fainted from the noxious aroma. He tried to land on his feet to minimized the damage, but the manure was very fresh, very slippery, and quite deep.

Q-Tip landed on his feet as he had hoped, but since he had no footing, he fell face first into six inches of fresh manure. He slowly got up and his whole body shook. The smell was terrible. He was gagging. He wiped his face the best he could.

He continued through the tires before coming to a second wall. He went up the wall and dropped down. This time falling onto his side to avoid having to eat manure again.

Now poor Q-Tip was completely covered with manure except for his white tail. He had to keep it clean if he was going to join the Airedales. He had one more obstacle to do. He had to crawl under the barbwire through a foot of manure.

When he got there he shook his head in disbelief. Was it really worth the humiliation he was going to have to deal with. Did he really want to belong that badly to the Airedales?

Q-Tip got down on his hands and knees and started crawling under the barbwire. The smell was terrible, but what was even worse the wire seemed to be getting lower as he went along.

With twenty feet to go he was on his belly crawling. Since his shorts were very baggy he had quite a load in his pants by this time. Only his head and the white tail were above the manure. His eyes were watering because the odor was so aromatic.

But he wasn't going to be too lucky. The last ten feet the wire was only fourteen inches high. He had to put his face down into the manure to crawl the last ten feet. He held his breath. He felt he was swimming in sewage.

It seemed like he held his breath for ten minutes, but it only took him thirty seconds. After he left the pit he got up and was instructed not to wipe his face but to do his fifty pushups and then head back to his room where the door would be open for him.

He did his pushups and ran as quickly as possible back to his room. It was a struggle since his shorts kept sliding down his well lubricated body. He was a sight to behold.

Everyone was laughing at Q-Tip as he ran by until they caught hold of his aromatic scent. They grabbed their noses and turned away gagging. A couple of them actually puked up their lunches.

Q-Tip finally made it back to his room and found the door was opened as promised. He took a nice hot shower for thirty minutes. He scrubbed and scrubbed vigorously. It felt so good to rid himself of the smell.

A couple of days later the trio of Pendry, Keeter, and Rabb caught up to Q-Tip. They asked him what was wrong. He mumbled to them because he couldn't open his mouth because his face was swollen shut.

He mumbled that he must be allergic to cow manure. He had a rash over every single inch of his body. Even little Q was affected. The trio all winced as they thought about that.

They told Q-Tip once he was recover from his malady, he was welcomed to joined them anytime." finished Mac chuckling.

"I never heard the part about the poison ivy in the manure and the hot shower. Great story Mac." grinned Tom Boone.

Then he turned to Sturgis. He just couldn't resist, He had to ask him

"Commander, I've heard that in severe cases of poison ivy, one can have permanent scarring. Can you tell me if it's true?" asked Tom Boone chuckling.

It finally dawned on Bobbie that Q-Tip had to be Sturgis. Without thinking she turned to him and said "So that's why you have so many scars there."

All Sturgis could do was stand up and run away screaming "Ah ...!" while he pulled his hair out. Everyone around the table roared with laughter.

Harm asked Mac to dance. There were times he didn't mind sharing Mac with their friends, but then there were times like now when he wanted her all to himself. They spent the rest of the night dancing before heading home.

**__**

The End


End file.
